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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26395201">Fly High!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawawalo/pseuds/kawawalo'>kawawalo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cute, Cute Kageyama Tobio, F/M, Fluff, Manga &amp; Anime, Slice of Life, Slow Romance, kageyama tobio - Freeform, starting from season 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:21:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>90,904</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26395201</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawawalo/pseuds/kawawalo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Attending Karasuno High School was your way of starting over and moving on from your injury in middle school. What you didn’t expect was to be pulled back into the world that you tried so hard to stay away from. Along the journey of recovery, you didn’t think you would grow close to Karasuno’s Boys Volleyball Team. Also falling in love with a certain setter was definitely something you didn’t expect at all. There’s one thing in common that you two share and that it’s wanting to fly as high as you can.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kageyama Tobio/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>248</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. -1-</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Crossed posted on Tumblr with my Haikyuu!! page krsnbbgirl. </p><p>Haikyuu!! has inspired me so much to get back into writing so I decided to make a series with Kageyama in it. Please be gentle because this is the first time I'm writing about the series! Like I tagged, it's heavily based on the anime timeline and not the manga since I started with the show first. Hope you guys like it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a typical day at Karasuno High School as you made your way through the gates and towards your locker. There was still time before the first bell rang so you took your time reaching your destination, putting your hands into the pockets of your blazer. Your mind began to drift towards what you wanted for lunch that day since the new school week meant a new rotation of dishes to choose from. As you continued your way through the school, you noticed that the hallways were filled with more buzz than usual. Curiosity picked at you as you rested your hands behind your neck and tried to listen in on some of the conversations around you. Humming to yourself, you heard the latest gossip float by as your ears perked up at certain names you knew.</p><p>“They made it through?”<br/>“Wait, they were that close?”<br/>“Were we they that good?”<br/>“So I guess they’re not The Fallen Champions anymore…”</p><p><em>‘Ah…so that’s what everyone’s talking about.’</em> You thought as you turned a corner.</p><p>Smiling to yourself, you finally reached your locker and began to change into your school shoes. Karasuno High’s boys' volleyball team used to be its pride until their previous coach retired. The team lost its shine and you experienced first hand the toll it took on its members. They were left with no coach and the remaining upperclassmen on the team had to step up as a coach in order to keep the club active. There was some hope for them when Coach Ukai returned and they were doing pretty okay but it was sad to see them go back to square one when their coach overworked himself and had to go into retirement once more. Now with recent changes, you were glad to hear that things were finally looking up for the boys.</p><p>As you were going through your mental checklist for the day and braiding your hair to keep it out of your face, someone leaned against the lockers beside you.</p><p>“Good morning (Y/N)-chan!”</p><p>You looked behind your locker door to see who greeted you and gave your childhood and best friend a warm smile.</p><p>“Yu-nii, how did the Inter-High tournament go?”</p><p>You arched an eyebrow as you noticed the dark look on his face and he grew silent. He was always so upbeat whenever you two were together, so something must have happened at their game. You sighed knowing that it was a habit of his whenever he grew frustrated or angry. Once you finished tying the elastic band at the end of your braid, you glared at him before flicking his forehead.</p><p>“(Y/N)-chan, what was that for?!” he exclaimed and rubbed his forehead, pouting at you.</p><p>“Don’t let it get the best of you, nii-chan.”</p><p>After closing your locker shut, you began to walk away and towards your classroom with Nishinoya falling into step beside you. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he clenched his jaw, his mind filled with thoughts of their previous match.</p><p>“If only you were there then you would’ve seen how cocky those bastards were. We were so close to beating them. Aoba Johsai ended up beating us by two points during the third set.” he grumbled.</p><p>Your mind flashed back to your post-practice conversations with Nishinoya whenever he was invited over for dinner. He was always so fired up whenever he talked about the teams he wanted to beat, especially Aoba Johsai. They were one of the top teams in their prefecture and he swore revenge after Karasuno went against them for a practice match. Looking back at Nishinoya and taking in his frustrated features, you gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze as you reached your classroom. He looked at you as you gave him an encouraging smile with a familiar determined glint in your eyes.</p><p>Nishinoya’s eyes widened a bit as you tilted your head to the side with a cheeky smirk and said, “That just means you guys have to work twice as hard to beat them at the next tournament, right?”</p><p>The familiar burning passion rushed through his bones as he met your eyes and you slightly nodded, giving him a knowing look.</p><p>“AHHH, YOU’RE RIGHT. WHAT AM I DOING JUST MUDDLING AROUND LIKE THIS, I NEED TO GET STRONGER. THANKS (Y/N)-CHAN, YOU’RE THE BEST!” he exclaimed.</p><p>You chuckled underneath your breath as your fellow classmates gave him a weird look. With another scream, he winked at you before running towards his own class. You playfully rolled your eyes with a small smile and watched him turn around with a new determined look on his face, smiling brightly. “I’ll see you later (Y/N)-chan!”</p><hr/><p>The bell for the day ended as you stretched your arms to relieve some of the stress from constantly writing notes. Your classmates greeted you as they walked past you and you took your time to gather your things. You weren’t popular in your grade, but you were well known to be that one person who easily got along with everyone and always lent a helping hand. You sighed to yourself as you slung your bag over your shoulder and took out your phone. Usually, after school time was used to hang out with friends or attend club activities, but you decided that once you got to Karasuno that you would just take time for yourself. After what had happened to you in middle school, you wanted to make up for the lost time you didn’t put towards yourself.</p><p>You hummed in thought as your phone began to buzz in the middle of scrolling through social media. Pressing the green button, you answered the phone and leaned against the wall by your classroom door.</p><p>“(Y/N)-chan, I know you’re probably busy right now but do you think you can stop by the gym?”</p><p>“Eh? Kiyoko-san? Did you need anything?”</p><p>“I wanted to talk to you about something if you don’t mind. I would come to you but the boys are about to start practice, so would mind meeting me here?”</p><p>“ I don’t know Kiyoko-san …”</p><p>“Please? I just need to talk to you in person about this.”</p><p>Based on Shimizu’s tone, you knew that this was going to be important and reluctantly agreed. With a groan, you shoved your phone into your pocket and went to meet up with your older friend. As you grew closer towards the gym, the familiar knotted feeling in your throat and stomach began to settle in. You slightly tighten your grip on the handles of your bag as Shimizu caught your eye and gave a small smile. You followed Shimizu into the gym and a sense of familiarity crashed over you. The faint scent of salonpas filled the gym and the familiar sound of shoes squeaking against the court managed to calm you down for a bit. Two shouts disrupted your concentration and before you knew it, two boys were hugging you.</p><p>“(Y/N)-chan, you finally decided to visit us! You’re so mean to have us wait for that long. You didn’t even come to see me after school on your first day here.” Nishinoya pouted.</p><p>“Yeah (Y/N)-chan, Nishinoya is right. We never thought you’d step back into the gym but here you are.” Tanaka smiled widely as he affectionately ruffled your hair.</p><p>“Ryu-nii you’re going to ruin my hair and I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for Kiyoko-san.” You huffed before elbowing the both of them and made your way towards Shimizu who was standing by the bench on the side of the court.</p><p>The two boys’ eyes got teary-eyed and gave two thumbs up towards the girls and exclaimed, “That’s our Kiyoko-san!”</p><p>“Um...Nishinoya-senpai who’s that?” Hinata asked as he and Kageyama went up to them. The four of them watched as the third years went up to greet the girls.</p><p>“Ah that’s right you haven’t properly met her yet. She’s (L/N) (F/N), my childhood friend. We grew up together since we live in the same apartment complex. I think you guys might have seen her since she’s in your grade.” Nishinoya said as he crossed his arms and gave them a proud smile.</p><p>“Eh, she is?” Kageyama asked as he took a good look at you. He analyzed your looks and noticed that you had this welcoming aura that made you stand out. You were laughing at something that Asahi said and casually looked in their direction. Your eyes met his and he stiffened for a second. You smiled at him before turning your direction back to Asahi’s story about how he accidentally scared the first years with his hair down.</p><p>“I don’t think we’ve ever crossed paths with her,” Hinata murmured as he tried to rack his brain to see if they had ever seen you in the hallways.</p><p>“Ah, maybe it’s because she’s in Class 5.” Tanaka piped in and the boys’ eyes went wide.</p><p>“She’s in Class 5?!” they exclaimed. Kageyama’s eyes went back towards you and there was something about you that drew his attention. He wasn’t sure if it was the way that you carried yourself or if it was because you were in the college prep class.</p><p>Nishinoya and Tanaka burst out laughing, pointing their fingers at them. “She’s out of your league dudes. You guys are dumb.”</p><p>“Well so are you two, so let’s get back to practice alright?” Daichi interrupted and put his hands on their shoulders.</p><p>The four of them gulped as they noticed the look on Daichi’s face while Asahi and Sugawara joined to guide them back onto the court with the rest of the team laughing at their antics.</p><p>You sighed to yourself as you watched the boys gather into a circle to start their stretching routine. It was true that it’s been a while since you stepped onto the court, much less the gym too. The court used to be a safe haven for you but now, you weren't sure how you felt being back on the floor. You weren’t going to lie; it felt nice being back in a familiar setting after so long. After swearing to never be on the court again, there was a huge part of you screaming to just grab a ball and hit it. Shimizu gave you a comforting smile before tapping the empty spot next to her on the bench.</p><p>“So what did you want to talk about, Kiyoko-san?” You asked as you sat down and turned towards her.</p><p>“After we came back from the Inter-High tournament, Takeda-sensei called us into his office. He told us that we needed to start thinking about what our next step would be.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, you guys are graduating soon…” you murmured as the both of you watched the boys began to do dives across the floor.</p><p>“As third years and being in charge of the team, we also needed to figure out what to do with the boys. And as you can see, there’s no one else to be in charge of them once I’m gone.”</p><p>Your breathing hitched as you caught on to what Shimizu was asking you. You bit your lip and looked down at your lap. Fiddling with your hands, a sense of doubt began to wash over you.</p><p>“Kiyoko-san, I know you mean well but I don’t know if I’m worth it.”</p><p>“I know it’s been hard for you, but I saw the look on your face when you stepped into the gym. You still have the spark in your eye, (Y/N)-chan. And if there’s anyone I know that I can trust the club with, it would be you. You know what these boys are going through because you’ve been in their shoes before.”</p><p>You pursed your lips as many thoughts began to race in your head and a short silence fell between you two. It’s true that volleyball was something that you loved with all your heart, but you knew you weren't ready to get back into it just yet. The familiar weighted feeling in your chest began to creep into you and in order to try to calm yourself down, you decided to distract yourself by concentrating on the boys. Your attention naturally gravitated towards the guy that you met eyes with. It was his turn to serve and your eyes widened as he had perfectly gotten the ball over to the other side with a jump serve.</p><p>“(Y/N)-chan, you don’t have to answer right away but at least take it into consideration.” Shimizu softly said as she gave you the form to fill out.</p><p>You smiled at Shimizu for giving you time and grabbed the form. Looking down at it, you did feel a part of yourself wanting to fill out the form but the other part just hasn’t found the will to move forward.</p><p>“Yeah...I’ll think about it.”</p><p>“Thanks for listening to me, (Y/N)-chan. You’re more than welcome to stay, I need to go find Takeda-sensei and discuss some things for their upcoming weekend training camp.” Shimizu smiled before patting your head and walking away.</p><p>“Oi, (Y/N)-chan~ do you want to go home together? It’s been a while since we’ve done that.” Nishinoya asked as the boys headed towards you for a water break after completing their warm-up drills.</p><p>You looked up in thought and seeing that you had nothing better to do, you might as well make your best friend happy by staying. Plus you wouldn’t admit it out loud, but watching Nishinoya toss and hit the ball made you feel like you were playing through him. You smiled at him and nodded. “I’ll just do homework while waiting for you then.”</p><p>“Eh? So this is what Shimizu’s been up to. Boys, we might have our future manager right in front of us!” Daichi smiled as he bent over and grabbed the form out of your hands.</p><p>“Daichi, give that back to me!” You huffed as you stood up and Daichi immediately held the paper over his head. He laughed as he watched you jump around, trying to get the form out of his grasp.</p><p>“Screw you guys for being so tall.”</p><p>“Don’t you want to become our manager, (Y/N)-chan? It’d be a relief to know that the team is in good hands next year.” Asahi joined in as he slung his arm over Daichi’s shoulders and gave you a cheeky smile. They laughed as you blew some stray hairs away from your face.</p><p>“Eh? Manager?” Hinata asked as they all stared at you.</p><p>Rolling your eyes, you finally managed to snatch the form from Daichi and folded it before putting it into your pocket. You shrugged and said, “I don’t know yet.”</p><p>“What do you mean you don’t know yet, you’d be perfect for it!” Tanaka claimed.</p><p>“I think it would help you, (Y/N)-chan,” Nishinoya said as he gave her a pointed look.</p><p>You scowled under Nishinoya’s gaze and Tanaka joined in on him trying to corner you. A vein popped out of the corner of your temple and Sugawara stepped in to diffuse the situation. You were just about to approach the two and give them a hard knock on the head when you felt him tug the edge of your blazer.</p><p>“Now, let’s not forget that it’s her choice at the end of the day. Whatever your decision is (Y/N)-chan, I’m sure these two idiots will support you either way.”</p><p>You sighed in relief and threw your arms around Sugawara’s waist sticking your tongue out at Tanaka and Nishinoya.</p><p>“This is why I like you better than them, Suga.” You snickered.</p><p>“Oh, and who might this be?”</p><p>Everyone turned around to see Coach Ukai step into the gym with Takeda-sensei and Shimizu. You and the boys bowed before Sugawara hugged you closer to him.</p><p>“Coach Ukai, meet (L/N) (F/N), our possible new manager.”</p><p>You sighed and slumped your shoulders. You should’ve known that Sugawara would also try to lock you in like the rest of the boys. Ukai looked at you and realized who you were right off the bat. He rubbed his chin in thought as you nodded in response. You shrugged and said, “I’m not sure yet but it’s nice to meet you.”</p><p>“A-Ah yes, nice to meet you. Did Shimizu recruit you?”</p><p>You nodded and Ukai smiled widely at your response. “Well, it’d be nice to have another person that can tame these boys so I hope you stop by frequently. Or better yet, become a part of the family here. I’m pretty sure you’ll easily fit in, hm?”</p><p>A shiver went up to your spine as you looked over your shoulder to see the entire team giving you expectant smiles with the exception of Tsukishima and Kageyama. The looks on their faces gave you the impression that they were trying to analyze if you were fit for the job. Turning your attention back towards the faculty, you suspiciously looked at the coach after noticing his tone. Ukai met your gaze and he gave you a smirk. He shrugged and said, “We’ll talk later kiddo. There’s some stuff I need to ask you.”</p><p>Reluctantly, you agreed and started to grow annoyed with how everyone was staring at you. You sat back down on the bench and looked at Nishinoya for help. He sighed and started to push the team back onto the court.</p><p>“Alright boys, give it a break, and let’s just continue with the practice, alright?”</p><p>You let out a relieved breath as the boys went for their jog and the others stepped outside to talk about the other things needed for the team. Having left to your own for a bit, you let yourself move by instinct. Your eyes landed on the stray volleyball that was by the bench and you picked it up. Walking up to the serving line, you bounced it a couple of times. Everything began to slowly disappear around you and faint cheers filled the background as your senses flashed back to the day you played in the finals with Chidoriyama Junior High’s girl volleyball team. You were tied with your opponents and it would’ve been the set point for your team. The ball was served and your team tried to spike the ball but it was received by your opponent. When it was your turn to spike the ball over the net once again, you had managed just barely to get the ball passed its block. Then before you knew it, you had landed wrong and the pain began to shoot up your leg, right in the knee. You were on the floor curled up in a ball as everything began to slow down. The faint voices of your teammates floated around you while your focus was aimed at the intense pain that shot up to your leg. With all your might, you bit your lip to prevent yourself from screaming in pain. Your coach was suddenly in front of you and the presence of your two best friends was made known as they helped you off the ground. From that point on, you lost yourself in your mind and the only thing that constantly echoed was, <em>'Why me? How could this happen?'</em>  For the remainder of the match, you were in the nurse's office getting checked out to make sure that the injury was properly tended to. After the game came to an end and you went to the doctor for a proper check-up, it was then that you found out that you tore your ACL.</p><p>Clutching the ball in your hand, you took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself down. You were still going to therapy to strengthen your knee after getting surgery, but your return to fully playing was never going to happen in your mind. You weren't going to lie to yourself though; having the ball in your hands once again felt nice. It made you happy as your body moved on its own. Twirling it in your palms, you felt yourself clock in on your concentration. Eyeing the other side of the court, you took a couple of steps back. Everything else was blocked from your sight as you zeroed in on the spot you wanted the ball to land.</p><p>Without you knowing, the boys had already returned but Nishinoya and the third years stopped the rest of the team from interrupting you. They all watched as you tossed the ball up in the air before running towards it and did a jump serve. Their eyes widened as the ball easily landed on the other side and could have been considered an ace if you were playing in a real game.</p><p>You hissed as you felt the familiar sting in your right knee and clenched your fists as you slowly walked back to the bench.</p><p>“(Y/N)-SAN THAT WAS AMAZING!!” Hinata exclaimed.</p><p>You gasped and turned around to see the boys looking at you with wide smiles. Hinata and Nishinoya were already making their way towards you with bright smiles and arms spread wide to jump on you.</p><p><em>‘Uh oh...’</em> You thought as you felt them tackle you with a hug.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. -2-</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Still reeling over what had happened the week before, you look back at how your daily life at Karasuno immediately changed for the better. Nishinoya also comes to ask you for a favor that helps you grow closer to the weird quick duo after school. The boys also learn more about your past from middle school.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey all, just want to thank anyone that has interacted with this story so far :) Here is part two of the series and as always, it's cross-posted on my Haikyuu! blog on Tumblr!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s been a week since the boys caught you doing a serve in the gym and a distraught look could be seen on your face as you made your way to the rooftop during one of your breaks. The boys began to try and convince you to become their manager even more ever since that practice. Tanaka would always call you their manager, a hopeful glint in his eyes, in the midst of his jokes. Hinata would try to bug you whenever he bumped into you in the hallways with Kageyama being dragged behind him. Then there was also Yamaguchi who would just give you a smile while Tsukishima would give you snide remarks whenever they passed your desk to sit at the back of the classroom. You sighed as your daily life at school was becoming more filled with the different presences of the boy’s volleyball team. It was nice finally getting to see the boys that Nishinoya always talked about, but you heavily underestimated the chaotic energy they brought with them. Escaping to the rooftop had become more of a daily thing for you so you could take a moment to breathe. You rested your arms on top of the railing as your mind flashed back to the moments right after you served the ball.</p><p>
  <em> The boys gaped at you as Hinata began his typical rambling after seeing something amazing with Nishinoya and Tanaka closely behind him with proud smiles. Sugawara, Daichi, and Asahi shared a look before smiling to themselves and giving a thumbs up to Shimizu. The second and third years were aware of your situation with volleyball because you used to frequently appear at their games when Nishinoya, Tanaka, Ennoshita, and the others were first years. The team had found out that you used to play volleyball when Nishinoya mentioned that he was going to attend one of your matches as his weekend plan. You were similar to Nishinoya on the court and a lot of people at Chidoriyama used to call you two  ‘The Yin and Yang Twins.’ Nishinoya was always the hyper one but quiet on the court meanwhile you were the more composed one but very hyper on the court. They were all there when you got injured and watched your downfall. All of them tried their best to be there for you, but the players knew how devastating it was to have one’s ACL tear. It’s one of the worst injuries to have and the hardest to come back from depending on the degree it got injured. Unfortunately for you, it was the degree that had to be taken with caution and the healing process was a lot longer.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> So once the boys gave up on finding Kageyama and Hinata on their jog, they decided to return and Nishinoya was the first to come back. He noticed right away the look in your eyes and looked to his side to find the rest of the team approaching. Motioning them to stay quiet, he pointed towards you and they all crowded by the entrance. As they watched you serve the ball, those that were by your side and respected your space felt a warm feeling spread across their chests. This could be your time to finally realize your worth once more. Before they knew it, they all surrounded you and complimented you on the serve. </em>
</p><p>You ruffled your hair in frustration as you looked over the school grounds to find Hinata and Sugawara practicing at the gym’s entryway. You noticed Kageyama walking towards the vending machine near them and pressing the buttons to get his drink. A chuckle escaped your lips as you watched a couple of students get scared of his presence. You shook your head in amusement and raised an eyebrow once you noticed a soft expression on his face as he enjoyed his drink. <em> ‘So he does have a soft side to him…’ </em>you thought to yourself as your eyes followed him.</p><p>“(Y/N)-chan~” </p><p>“Oh, Yu-nii, did you need anything?” you asked as Nishinoya joined you by the railings and he shrugged. </p><p>“I just wanted to check up on you after everything that’s happened,” he asked and looked at you from the corner of his eye. </p><p>You gave him a scrutinizing look because he typically checks in on you like this if he needs something. He’d usually just try to tease you or joke around with you when he knows that something is troubling you or waits until you come to him. Besides, he already scolded you on your way home about being more careful with your knee since you haven’t been conditioning lately and skipped more than one appointment with your physical therapist.</p><p>“Liar, you need something from me.” </p><p>Nishinoya laughed out loud and smiled at you. “You know me too well, (Y/N)-chan.” </p><p>Turning your attention fully onto Nishinoya, you waited for him to speak. He rubbed his neck sheepishly and said, “Daichi said that we needed to pass our exams in order for us to go to Tokyo for training. If we fail, the supplementary exams fall on the day that we leave.” </p><p>“Yu-nii, I can’t help you with your studying. I’ve tried and can be a lost cause sometimes.” you sighed.</p><p>He winced at your bluntness but knew he had it coming. You were always the more studious one and had to always make sure he concentrated on homework whenever he came over. But in this case, he already had the third years and Ennoshita whipping him into shape during their after school sessions. But seeing the first years struggle and being the amazing upperclassman he was, Nishinoya wanted to give his beloved underclassmen some help. </p><p>“It’s not for me, (Y/N)-chan. If you think Tanaka and I are stupid, Kageyama and Hinata are struggling more than us.” </p><p>You couldn’t believe what came out of Nishinoya’s mouth and you burst out laughing. “W-Wait, are you saying that Kageyama-san isn’t smart? But he looks like he has good grades!” </p><p>“That’s what we thought too but I guess he’s only smart when it comes to volleyball.” Nishinoya pouted. </p><p>You couldn’t stop imagining Kageyama failing at regular school work because he just gave off that impression that he had some common knowledge in him. With Hinata, you had a good feeling that he wouldn’t be that smart since it looked like volleyball was the only thing on his mind. But it was a good surprise to you to find out that Kageyama was just as bad because it proved to you that you shouldn’t have assumed in the first place. It did give you some amusing thoughts though. Crossing your arms, you looked at your best friend as he rubbed his hands together and bowed slightly towards you.</p><p>“Please, I’m begging you (Y/N)-chan, please help Kageyama and Hinata! We need them to be there with us! I’ll even buy you lunch for a week straight because you helped them!” </p><p>With such a good offering, you smirked to yourself and ruffled his hair. “Alright Yu-nii, I’ll go help them.” </p><p>You could see his eyes immediately light up and was about to go hug you when you held your hand up to him. </p><p>“But, they have to come and ask me for help first.” </p><p>Nishinoya cheered before hugging you tightly, thanking you a million times before darting off to tell them the good news. You shook your head in amusement and gathered your things to head back to your classroom and get a jump start on your homework in order to help the team’s newfound duo. </p><hr/><p>The lunch bell finally rang and you mindlessly sipped on your carton of juice that you got during the previous break. You weren’t sure if the boys were going to come to you that day since Nishinoya never texted you back after the conversation on the roof. Listening to your stomach, you considered dropping by the shop that Coach Ukai ran for some snacks and a meat bun. You frowned to yourself as you realized that Coach Ukai still wanted to talk to you about your volleyball history. The grip on your juice carton slightly tightened and your other hand began to tap your desk as you thought about the questions he was going to ask. With a sigh, you shook your head to try and clear the questions and assumptions racing through your mind. You were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard your name being called and looked over to see Hinata and Kageyama walking into your classroom. You smiled at them and waved them over. The look of determination was evident on their faces as they stood in front of your desk and you couldn’t help but find their dedication towards the sport endearing. </p><p>“Hey (L/N)-san!” Hinata greeted you happily and Kageyama met your eyes as he nodded at you and said, “Hey.” </p><p>You held his gaze and greeted them back. Kageyama’s eyes widened slightly, surprised that someone was able to hold his gaze like that outside of practice, and looked outside the window. You smiled to yourself and turned your attention towards Hinata who asked you a question. You laughed to yourself because seeing Kageyama be so awkward outside of the gym was a cute sight to see.</p><p>“(L/N)-san, do you like studying?” </p><p>You looked up in thought before shrugging. “I don’t hate it…” </p><p>With a hopeful look on his face, Hinata held out his notebook and asked, “Could you teach me this English?” He tugged on Kageyama’s shirt too and continued to say, “You should ask her, too, Kageyama!” </p><p>You looked back to the quiet setter who stuffed his hands in his pocket and you met gazes once more. “Please teach us.” </p><p>Hinata continued to try and convince you as he stepped forward and said, “If we fail any tests next month, we won’t be able to go to the Tokyo away games, so we’ve been having the tall guy with glasses named Tsukishima help us...But lately, he’s getting irritated because Kageyama and I are so stupid.”  </p><p>“I’m not scared of him.” Kageyama snorted, glaring at Hinata.</p><p>“But it’d be better for someone to teach us nicely!” </p><p>You couldn’t stop yourself from letting out a soft chuckle, holding your hand to your face to cover your reaction. “You guys are really too much. I didn’t think you guys would be struggling this much.” </p><p>Kageyama felt an unfamiliar burning on his cheeks as he noticed your cute expression and shook his head to get rid of any unnecessary thoughts. He couldn’t get his focus messed up now, even if you did catch his interest. He didn’t need any distractions but a small part of him wanted to do something to keep seeing similar reactions from you.</p><p>Giving both of them a warm smile, you gestured towards your desk and said, “If I’m good enough-” </p><p>“Really?!” Hinata excitedly asked. </p><p>You pursed your lips as you let them know what you were thinking, “But I wonder if I’ll be able to teach in a nicer way than Tsukishima...I used to get really strict when I helped Yu-nii with his homework.”  </p><p>Both of them shook their heads simultaneously as Hinata reassured you, “You definitely don’t need to worry about that.” </p><p>“Well, then shall we get started?” You smiled as you clapped your hands together and opened up your notebook. </p><p>As the study session took place, you simplified what was being taught to them in a way the two would understand it. If what Nishinoya told you was true, then the way that you outlined things would be easy enough to teach to them. </p><p>“I see! Wow!” Hinata exclaimed as you explained the construction of an English sentence to him. </p><p>You rubbed your neck sheepishly and shrugged. “Oh, it’s nothing..”</p><p>“Your notebook’s really easy to look at, (LN)-san. You’re great at drawing too.” Hinata commented when he noticed the small doodles that covered the sides and corners of your notes.</p><p>“Ah well, when I was on a break I suddenly got into drawing and I typically try to be the best in everything I get into so I guess it’s from my perfectionist side.” you sheepishly replied before pointing at Hinata’s notes. “Oh, if you leave a space here, it’ll be easier to fill in later. Also, if you limit the number of colors you use, it won’t get confusing.” </p><p>Kageyama watched as you bit off the cap of your pen and began to write guides on Hinata’s notebook. He wasn’t much of a talker, but he was grateful for you being willing enough to help them. There was something about you that helped calm down his nerves as you taught them their class’s material. He didn’t feel as competitive or stressed when they studied with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. You were encouraging but knew when to be strict with them. As he quietly took down his notes, Kageyama listened in on your conversation as you and Hinata talked about his dislike for studying and how he’s just trying really hard to get to Tokyo. </p><p>You were amazed at Hinata’s passion and was surprised to also find Kageyama chiming in on the conversation when Nekoma High was brought up. She vaguely remembered Nishinoya complaining about Nekoma one time so she assumed they were pretty strong opponents and now friends off the court. Especially if Kageyama mentioned that there was someone as good as Nishinoya on their team. It reminded you that you should check up on your friends from that school and filtered a mental note to do so once she got home. You lost contact with them for a bit during your rut and since volleyball was starting to make a comeback in your life, it was a good idea to check up on a childhood friend. </p><p>Resting your chin on your palm as the two boys got lost in their own banter, you began to think about going to their games more. Nishinoya had been trying to get you to come back to their games but then he got suspended after his scuffle with Asahi. You mentally sighed and realized you had been so caught up with your own problems, you fell short on supporting your best friend. If anything, you should be thankful for Nishinoya introducing you to his new friends at Karasuno. With your budding relations with the current team, you were able to make new friendships with classmates you never noticed before. Your eyes unconsciously went towards Kageyama and you began to admire his features as he continued to talk to Hinata. You hated to admit it but now looking up close with him off the court, Kageyama was quite attractive. It was funny to you because people often got scared of him, but all you saw was a socially awkward guy. Also having grown close to the second and third years, you saw those boys as older brothers so none of them had gotten your attention when you got to know them. It didn’t help that Nishinoya would try to get in on your business to see if he could play cupid between you and a member of his. That idea didn’t sit right with you in the beginning but now, you might just be open to it. </p><p>“So, (L/N)-san, did you used to play volleyball?” </p><p>You sighed as you knew that this question was going to be brought up sooner or later after they saw you serve. </p><p>“I’m pretty sure Yu-nii has already told you guys this, but we went to the same middle school together. He was the libero for the boy’s team and I was the wing spiker and pinch server for the girl’s team. Our school called us ‘The Yin and Yang Twins’ because of how our personalities switched in and out of the court.” </p><p>The boys noticed your eyes softened as you remembered your days playing the sport that they loved and Kageyama couldn’t help but ask, “How come you stopped?” </p><p>“I tore my ACL during my final match.” </p><p>They winced trying to imagine how that went down and you shrugged. Kageyama couldn’t help but blame himself for making you remember something that terrible and murmured, “Sorry, I didn’t know.” </p><p>You shook your head dismissively and looked down to play with your hands. “It’s okay. To be honest, taking time off to heal has opened my eyes a lot. I just don’t know if I’ll ever be fine to properly play again.” </p><p>“Have you tried to give yourself that chance?” Hinata asked.     </p><p>You looked up to find Hinata smiling down at you as he stood up from his seat, palms resting on top of your desk. “I know that there are times where things seem to be impossible. I’ve had those thoughts for the longest time, but giving myself a chance to try things out and see where it goes has gotten me to where I am now. A lot of people underestimate me for being small and even if I’m not big, I can fly.” </p><p>Your eyes widened as you saw the look in Hinata’s eyes. His words had an impact on you and you sat back in your chair, your mind going back to your serve. Kageyama noticed the thoughtful look on your face and understood that you needed your space for the time being. </p><p>“Hinata, don’t you need to copy this down?” Kageyama asked to divert Hinata's attention from you.</p><p>You looked out the window as Hinata sat down, continuing to write down his notes. While doing so, he began to ramble about volleyball again and while listening, you mindlessly said, “Then you’re like the Little Giant of the team, Hinata.” </p><p>Kageyama sighed as Hinata got amped up again just by hearing the nickname he respected so much and then met your gaze. It was asking for him to help you calm him down so that you could all wrap up the study session. Turning his attention back to his notes, Kageyama continued to write down what he needed to know. </p><p>“Hey, Little Giant that’s not gonna make it to Tokyo, hurry up and copy this.” </p><p>Once the two finished copying down your notes and finally understanding some of the material, you agreed to continue to tutor them. You walked them to the hallway and the both of them thanked you once more before bumping into Nishinoya who held up your lunch in the air on the way back to their classroom. </p><p>“I hope she’s been treating you well, boys!” Nishinoya greeted his underclassmen before walking up to you. </p><p>Kageyama couldn’t help but turn around and watch as you gave Nishinoya a bright smile and hug. An unfamiliar feeling crept inside of him as he grew irritated for some unknown reason. He clicked his tongue and tried his best to forget about the part of him wishing that you would greet him like that in the near future.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. -3-</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The volleyball club is very keen on making you join and you find yourself slowly giving in, despite having doubts about yourself. You also find yourself naturally gravitating towards Kageyama without realizing it after one of their practices. Kageyama also finds himself questioning the effects you have on him. (RIP idk how to write a good summary)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you guys enjoy this new update! As always, it's cross-posted on my tumblr (krsnbbgirl)! Comments and other interactions are very much appreciated! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The final bell of the day rang and you groaned as the paper bag sitting next to your desk was calling out your name. It was the middle of the week which meant that you had the apartment all to yourself until your mom returned late from work. You had planned to go to Ukai’s shop to pig out on snacks to take home and eat while playing video games. But it looked like your plans changed as you looked over towards the burgundy uniform that stared back at you. With a sigh, you pushed herself up from your desk and went to start cleaning up the classroom. You let your mind wander to earlier that day when you were walking around the school during the last break of the day and had bumped into the third years who were conveniently looking for you. </p><p>
  <em> “(Y/N)-chan!” Asahi greeted as the three of them walked up to you. You stepped back and skeptically looked at them.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Now, now (Y/N)-chan, you don’t need to be looking at us like that.” Sugawara laughed and you scoffed.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Says the one that also tried to tie me down with the idea of being manager instead of helping me.” You pouted.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Sugawara held up his hands in defense and said, “We all know you can do it (Y/N)-chan.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Which is why we’re doing this!” Daichi exclaimed before he ran towards you and threw you over his shoulders.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Suga you traitor! I can’t believe you were acting as decoy for this! Daichi, put me down!” You whined as you hit his back and kicked your legs in your attempt to try to escape.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> In response to your antics, Daichi tightened the grip he had around your waist and fastened his pace.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Nah, I don’t want to. Besides, we need to complete our mission.” he chuckled. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “What mission?! You guys are crazy, don’t think you can get away with this!” You huffed and continued to pound on Daichi’s back.   </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asahi and Sugawara only laughed at your reaction and Sugawara threw his blazer over your waist. The three third years ignored your pleas and the weird stares coming from students that walked past them. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “There, there (Y/N)-chan. If you only agreed to being manager in the first place you wouldn’t be in this position.” Asahi playfully said.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “We all saw that serve and if anything, this could be helpful for you.” Daichi continued.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Shimizu-san was the one that asked us to help her find you because she needed to give you something. But we also know you well enough that you’d try to escape if we told you why we needed to talk to you. Or y’know…” Sugawara shrugged before finishing his thought, “corner you and convince you to come with us.”   </em>
</p><p>
  <em> You sighed and crossed your arms, glaring at the floor. “Fine, you have a point. But can you please just let me walk?! Do you think I can outrun the three of you giants?!”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The boys laughed as Daichi finally set you down in the hallway for third-year classes. “True, but we thought this would be more fun.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Daichi ruffled your hair and you couldn’t help but groan, facepalming, and accepting the fact that they’ll never stop messing up your hair. “You guys always just have to go for the hair, huh?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Pressing your hands together, you looked up and playfully prayed out loud. “Oh kami-sama, what did I do in my previous life to deserve this type of treatment from three giants?”   </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “You’re just so fun to tease sometimes, (Y/N)-chan.” Sugawara chuckled as Asahi waved down Shimizu.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> She walked up to your group with the brown bag in hand and passed it to you.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Inside is the practice uniform for us. I know you’re still thinking about it and hopefully, these boys have been doing their best to convince you. But we all saw that you were finally opening up on giving volleyball a second chance once you picked up the ball.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Once it’s in your body and you get a feel of that court, it’s never going to leave you (Y/N)-chan. Trust me when I say, I know how you feel about being adamant about leaving the court after something happened. It’s all about keeping your perspective open.” Asahi said.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Sure you had something knock you down, but always remember, it’s better to come back stronger than let yourself drown in what-ifs.” Sugawara reminded her.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Of course, everyone has their own time when it comes to healing. But I know I can see that your time is nearing, (Y/N)-chan. And when that time comes, we’ll be there to support you. The first step is to slowly get back into it, even if it means just doing it on the sidelines.” Daichi said as he gave your shoulders a reassuring squeeze.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “And if anything, Nishinoya-kun is the one person that’s been looking forward to your return onto the court.” Shimizu said. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Taking the bag into your hands, you gave them a small but thankful smile. You wouldn’t admit it to them, but you had missed volleyball. After trying so hard to walk away from the sport, all the emotions you felt after stepping into the gym came at you like wildfire. After your incident, you distanced yourself from it because of how much your injury affected you. Now one year later, what ifs had begun to enter your mind, especially once Nishinoya began to talk about how Karasuno was picking up their game once more. You couldn’t help but feel jealous of him. He was still able to do the one thing he loved while you were stuck at square one. But now knowing that he’s been wanting you to get back into it, talking about the boys and their games was just a way for him to lure you back into your love for the sport.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The third years could see the look in your eyes change after Shimizu mentioned Nishinoya and smiled at each other. You were like their little sister and all they wanted was the best for you and they knew that it was volleyball. You were one of the most passionate players they’ve seen and they would do anything to see you at your happiest.They weren’t sure if you would ever be able to return back to the court, but being involved as a manager could be the starting point for you. They just knew that volleyball was destined to always be a part of your life no matter what.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I hate you guys…” you murmured as you looked away, hugging the bag to your chest.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “We love you too, (Y/N)-chan.” Sugawara smiled and Asahi bent down to rest his arm on your head.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “So does that mean you’ll be our manager then?”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> You clicked your tongue and elbowed Asahi before walking away. “I’ll think about it, Goatee Guy.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Goatee Guy?!”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>You laughed as you finished up your clearing duties, a warm feeling spreading through your chest as you realized how much the third years looked after you. After putting the broom away, you picked up the bag and stared at the uniform that sat inside. With a million thoughts running through your mind, you bit your lip in contemplation as your eyes moved towards the clock in the classroom. Their practice was just about to start and so with another look at the bag, you gathered your things to make your way over to the gym. <em> ‘Screw it, let’s see how this goes’ </em>You thought to yourself.</p><hr/><p> </p><p><em> ‘Am I really going to do this?’ </em>You thought to yourself as you slowly walked towards the gym after changing into the uniform. </p><p>Peeping through the door, you saw that the boys were already inside of the gym warming up. You were about to sneak in until Hinata ran up to you with his quiz in his hands.</p><p>“(L/N)-san! Some parts you taught me were on there, and I got a third of them right!” he happily exclaimed.</p><p>Quickly forgetting about what you were worrying about, you began to jump with Hinata in joy because he managed to pass the quiz with your help. The boys were surprised to see you in the uniform, but nonetheless happy that you were seriously considering becoming one of their managers. Shimizu approached you while Daichi called for their drills to begin and decided to give you the rundown. </p><p>“I’m sure you already know by now, but you don’t have to be nervous. Just make sure to be careful of stray shots.” </p><p>You gave Shimizu a questioning gaze as if daring to see just how bad the stray shots can be, and she laughed. “You’ll just have to see for yourself, (Y/N)-chan..” </p><p>“Ugh, Kiyoko-san that’s no fair…” You playfully whined before following her around to help with whatever needed to be done. </p><p>Soon enough, Coach Ukai and Shimizu were throwing balls at the boys during their practice match. As you watched while doing the small tasks that were given to you, you slowly began to understand what Nishinoya was always telling you about the boys. There was the hunger for revenge that drove them to train harder and you could see it in all of their eyes. You couldn’t help but laugh whenever you saw Nishinoya and Tanaka get riled up whenever something great happened. It reminded you of the times when they would just as riled up for you during your matches after Nishinoya began high school.</p><p>For a second you took your eyes off of them to check the time and out of the corner of your eye, you saw a stray ball coming your way. Before you could think, your body reacted on its own by squaring off your body and bending down. <em> ‘Wait it’s too high.’ </em> You crossed your arms just in time for the ball to rebound off of your forearms. The boys apologized but were also surprised at your fast reflexes. You casually waved it away and didn’t notice that a certain someone had his eyes on you. Kageyama saw it all happen since he was part of the trio that managed to block Asahi’s spike that headed towards your direction. He couldn’t hide his curiosity and surprise to see someone so aware of their surroundings. It made him wonder what it was like to play against you on the court. Kageyama kept staring at you and it wasn’t until Tsukishima nudged him in the stomach for his attention to return back to the court. </p><p>“Oi, Kageyama, we all know that (Y/N) is cute but who knew that she’d catch the King’s attention. Don’t let her become your weakness if you guys do become a thing. We can’t let your reputation on the court get ruined.” Tsukishima teased. </p><p>“Shut up!” Kageyama hissed as his teammates snickered since it was hard to find things to tease Kageyama with. </p><p>After making sure that you were fine, Shimizu began to tell you how Karasuno’s offense is among the best in the prefecture. You hummed in response as the conversation continued while dodging or hitting away any stray shots. You snickered as you looked behind Shimizu to see Nishinoya and Tanaka fanboying over the fact that your senpai was talking more than usual. Your best friend met your gaze and gave you an encouraging nod as if to say <em> ‘You’re doing the right thing. As well as “I told you so.”’’ </em> Playfully rolling your eyes at him, you nodded at him to focus back on practicing just as Coach Ukai yelled at them to stop goofing off. You looked back at Shimizu as she observed the team and told you that Karasuno is going to make it to nationals once more. </p><p>You were lost in thought most of the time while Shimizu took on most of the work. You knew that everyone wanted what’s best for you but you didn’t know if being a manager was going to work out for you. Would you be able to keep up? Were you even worthy enough to be their manager? You’ve been out of the game for a year, maybe even longer. Why are they having so much faith in you? With thoughts like these swirling your mind, the practice was over before you knew it and Takeda-sensei was giving their announcements. </p><p>“...Ouginishi High School requested a match tomorrow and I accepted. They saw us at the Inter-High prelims and insisted.” Takeda-sensei said.</p><p>The boys cheered and their energy rose up once more as they excitedly talked about their match. You watched them interact with each other and couldn’t help but feel jealous. Your longing for the sport continued to grow the more you interacted with the boys and you didn’t know how to feel. After your injury, you vowed to never return to the sport and yet there you were: back inside a gym filled with other people who loved volleyball just as much as you did. A swirl of emotions began to get the best of you and you quietly excused yourself to take a breather outside while the team cleaned up the gym for the night. </p><p>Your mind was torn as you quickly changed back into your school uniform and made your way back to the gym. Shimizu had asked if you wanted to walk home together on her way out, but you quickly declined because you needed to sort out your own thoughts. As you began to make your way towards the gate, you paused in your steps as you heard Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei talk to each other. Your eyes widened as you listened in on their conversation. You felt bad when Takeda shared with Coach Ukai that he couldn’t get the bus they needed for the team to go to Tokyo. Pursing your lips, your mind flashed to the boys’ excited expressions for their away games. It was important to have a bus and maybe, just maybe you could figure out a way to help them just this once. </p><p>“(L/N)-san, are you gonna be our manager?” Hinata asked as he ran up to you. </p><p>You jumped and turned around to find him staring at you excitedly. Taking a step back, you tried to figure out what to say to the poor guy since you still didn't have a solid answer. </p><p>“You’re going to, right?” </p><p>“Oi, Hinata, what are you doing to our (Y/N)-chan?” Tanaka and Nishinoya asked as they approached you. </p><p>“You better not pressure her into saying yes. But I’m pretty sure my (Y/N)-chan will say yes anyway.” Nishinoya said as he stared Hinata down. </p><p>“If she says no then we have to deal with it, alright kid? But I mean, both of us still hope that you’ll join. We’re just giving you space. Plus when you’re around, Kiyoko-san talks a lot.” Tanaka added. </p><p>You laughed as Daichi knocked both of their heads and Sugawara apologized for their behavior. You waved their behavior away and retorted, “It’s fine, I have to deal with their stupidity on the weekends anyways.” </p><p>“Hey!” Tanaka and Nishinoya exclaimed and tried to go after you. Trying to find an escape route, you noticed Asahi and Kageyama approaching and smiled widely. Quickly running behind Kageyama, you held onto the back of his jacket. Peeping behind his tall stature, you stuck your tongue out at them as Asahi stepped in to catch the two idiots. Kageyama could only stand still as he felt your presence while everything went down. The feeling of your hands scrunching up his practice shirt and the weight of your body leaning against his while you looked out from behind caused him to freeze up. He was surprised that you ran up to him and used him as a cover instead of Asahi, who was someone that you were much closer with. What confused him was that it made him happy knowing that you chose him but he simply didn’t know how to react to all of this. </p><p>“Let’s all just get along now children.” Asahi sighed as he dragged Tanaka and Nishinoya away from you and Kageyama. </p><p>Everyone’s attention was then diverted to Hinata who took out his phone to show the text he had gotten from, Kenma, his friend from Nekoma. You sighed in relief before realizing you were still hanging onto Kageyama. You felt how stiff he was and sheepishly let go before standing in front of him. Rubbing your neck, you awkwardly smiled and looked up at him while ignoring the warm feeling creeping onto your cheeks. </p><p>“Sorry Kageyama-kun, I didn’t realize I was still hanging on to you.” </p><p>“O-Oh...it’s nothing really. Those two can be a handful sometimes.” he murmured as he felt his cheeks warm. </p><p>You softly laughed and smiled back at him. “Right? Well thanks for letting me use you as my shield, Kageyama-kun. Let’s catch up to them.” </p><p>Kageyama froze once more when he saw the bright smile you gave him. He snapped back to reality when you began to walk towards the rest of the boys. Clutching his chest in hopes to relieve the pounding behind his ribcage, Kageyama began to slowly understand what was happening to him. He glanced at you once more, who was talking to Tsukishima about your upcoming assignments, as he slowly made his way towards the rest of the team. Kageyama didn’t know how to react to the effect that you were slowly having on him and it was going to be the death of him if it continued to grow. </p><p>
  <em> ‘Kami-sama, please help me. I don’t know what to do if this continues to happen whenever I’m around her.’ </em>
</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. -4-</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>With the deadline for your response to being Karasuno's coach approaching, it's all that you can think about. Kageyama bumps into you and shares his thoughts about her situation. It doesn't go as smoothly as either as you hoped but in the end, Kageyama learns that maybe he'd found someone that understands him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it's taken a while with this update! Life has been a little hectic with work but it's finally here!!<br/>ALSO, HAIKYUU IS BACK AND I MISSED SEEING MY BABIES &lt;3<br/>Anyways, as always cross-posted on Tumblr on my page: krsnbbgirl<br/>Hope you guys enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m home!” you exclaimed as you stepped into your home and tiredly slipped out of your shoes. </p><p>“Welcome home, (Y/N)-chan. Why are you home late? I even got home before you did.” your mom asked as you let your bag fall to the floor and plopped yourself onto the couch. </p><p>Turning on the television as your mom cooked dinner, you contemplated what to say depending on how your mom would react to the news. You sighed in defeat and sat up to rest your arms on the top of the couch. With your chin resting on top of your arms, you tilted your head to the side and tried to gauge her reaction with what you said next. </p><p>“I was at volleyball practice.” </p><p>You watched as your mom paused her chopping and looked at you with wide eyes. The topic of volleyball was never brought up after your incident because of how distraught you'd look whenever it was brought up. She was hopeful that it wasn't that your injury could be healed in no time, but after learning about the recovery process, it was difficult to keep your spirits up as months went by. She had always left it to Nishinoya to comfort you because you were always comfortable talking to him than her. It didn't help that you were also looked so tired and frustrated after you've been to the physical therapist. Your mom understood how much it took out of you mentally and after a couple of conversations with your therapist and father, it was known to never bring volleyball back up until you were ready and open to it once more. So hearing that you were at volleyball practice brought a small ray of hope that she'd be able to see her vibrant and confident daughter back. </p><p>“Practice? But I thought-”</p><p>“I know, I’m not sure yet. Or well- I’m not actually playing, Yu-nii and Kiyoko-san invited me to be their team manager.” </p><p>“But that’s something right? And didn’t Karasuno’s team manage to go to nationals once? ” your mom asked softly as she slowly resumed preparing dinner. </p><p>“Yeah but you already know where I stand on this, mom.” You sighed and ran a hand through your hair as you fell onto your back and stared at the ceiling.  </p><p>“Honey, it’s been a year and you’re almost done with your sessions. Don’t you think this would be a good opportunity for you to still be connected with it? I know you’ve put them on pause, but maybe it’s time to get back into them?” </p><p>Puffing out your cheeks, you knew that your mom was right but you just didn’t feel ready yet. Twiddling with your fingers, you shared your thoughts and said, “I know it’s been a year and being a manager won’t be that hard; it’s just that I don’t know if I can handle being on the court and also knowing that I won’t be able to stand on it as a proper player…” </p><p>With a sigh, you gathered your things and went to your room. You couldn’t help but get into a mood whenever your mom talked about volleyball. It always just served as another reminder about your injury. Your mom sighed, watching you retreat back into your thoughts with your head down and back hunched over. </p><p>She called out to you before you disappeared down the hallway, “Remember honey, joining passionate people when you aren’t going to give it your all is the rudest thing you could do.” Clenching your fist, you continued your way towards your room knowing too well that your mom was right. </p><hr/><p>It was the end of the next school day and you walked towards the vending machine closest to the gym in hopes of downing something sweet to pick your energy up to when it’s time for practice. You found yourself staring at the club application once more as you unfolded it from your pocket and stared at the empty page like the countless times you’ve done whenever you’re left to yourself. It stared back at you as an opportunity waiting to happen, but the overall fear that’s been hanging over your head always seemed to hold you back. Thoughts began to flash in your mind and your increased heartbeat led you to slightly crumple the edges of the application. With a sigh, you pressed the button for strawberry milk and tilted your head in confusion because the drink wouldn’t come down. </p><p><em> ‘That’s weird...how come it won’t come down?’ </em> </p><p>You furrowed your brows and pressed the button once more, stuffing the paper back into your pocket. Your drink still wouldn’t come but the screen still showed that it accepted your coins. Pouting to yourself, you tried to rack your brain on another way to get it since you always saw Kageyama get a drink from that specific machine. You also just really hoped to get the drink soon so it could help calm you down.</p><p>“You have to press the button of the drink you want and the button next to it since the machine is pretty old.” </p><p>You jumped and turned around to see Kageyama leaning against the wall closest to you. Pushing himself off of the wall, he walked up to you and you stepped out of the way for him to do it. You watched as he pushed the two buttons with more force and you watched the drink drop to the bottom. Kageyama bent down and grabbed the drink before handing it to you. With a wide grin, you excitedly grabbed it from his hands and he watched you stab the straw into the carton. The familiar sweet taste of strawberries made you smile and let out a sound of contentment as your nerves slowly calmed down. Kageyama had to hold himself back from smiling at your adorable reaction and coughed to get your attention. You laughed before walking up to him and patted his shoulder. </p><p>“Thanks, Kageyama-kun, you’re a lifesaver. I really <em> really </em>needed this.” You smiled at him. </p><p>He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets while you mindlessly began to pace back and forth, still sipping on your drink. </p><p>“...So have you decided to become our manager?” he asked as he leaned against the wall once more and you leaned on the pole across from him with your arms crossed. </p><p>You shrugged and said, “To be honest, I walked over here without thinking. I could have gotten a drink anywhere on campus, but my legs led me to this one.” </p><p>Kageyama watched as you shifted your gaze to the ground and you kicked a small rock that was near you. “I haven’t stepped into a gym or even played volleyball ever since I wrapped up my final season in middle school. Once I came to Karasuno, I wanted a fresh start that was away from a place that reminded me of how I would never get to play like how I used to anymore. I even went to a different high school because I didn’t know how I could face the reality of my former teammates moving on without me.” </p><p>You looked up at him to see if he would say anything, but he didn’t. Although he didn’t actually say anything, his eyes told you he was listening to you. He was definitely the more silent type, but his body language spoke a lot about his character and you were glad to know he was willing to be there for you. Biting your lip in contemplation, you didn’t know if you wanted to continue because you didn’t want to burden him with your problems. </p><p>“...And how are you feeling now?” he asked as he turned his attention towards the machine and got a milk carton for himself.</p><p>“I don’t know. You’re supposed to give your all in volleyball because the game never stops until the ball drops, right? But what can I do when my body is aching to play yet I won’t be able to do what I used to because of what happened?” </p><p>“You never know until you try. If volleyball is really that important to you, then you should be doing anything you can to be involved, even with your injury. You shouldn’t give up just like that. And if you were as passionate as our senpais say, then you’re being a coward.” Kageyama said as he glanced at you while drinking his drink. Before you could say anything, he headed towards the club room to change. </p><p>“...what?” you muttered in disbelief.</p><p>You took in a deep breath when Kageyama turned around, he met your unsure gaze with a burning one before walking off. “Because if you really loved the sport, then you’d make sure you’re at the best you can be whether it’s manager or player. What matters at the end of the day is how much you love it and how much you’re willing to do to continue to do it. Right now it seems like you’re giving up and getting people’s hopes up. Do something about it.” </p><p>You internally winced at his words, but you knew Kageyama was right. You were just running away from your problems because you didn’t want to face reality. You always felt invincible during matches and when your first major injury was the worst it could be, it felt like the world ended. But now that there was a chance for you to have a clean start with volleyball, you just didn’t have the confidence in yourself to follow through. You thought you did after your talk with the third years, but the words your mom told you the night before continued to echo in your mind. You still weren’t sure if you would be able to give your all. With a sigh, you threw your empty milk carton into a nearby trashcan and went to go get change then meet everyone at the gym for their practice match. </p><hr/><p>Kageyama mentally kicked himself as he watched you and Shimizu set up the chairs for their guests. He didn’t mean to be so straightforward with you, but hearing you talk about how passionate it made you and to see you in that sort of state made him frustrated. He disliked the fact that you were giving up without a fight. Your body was trained for volleyball and your injury was pretty serious, but watching your serve, it made him realize that you could still do it if you really put your mind to it. He could relate to the helplessness you felt because of his own downfall as ‘The King,’ but his current teammates helped him realize that there was room to grow and be better. If he could overcome that feeling then that meant you could too. After thinking about it, he realized you get the same look on his face whenever he plays. You still had the laser cut focus and determination to get to the top, but you’re letting your injury be the blockade against the confidence you had for yourself. </p><p>With a sigh, he changed his focus and grimaced when he noticed that Nishinoya had a concerned look on his face as he looked at his best friend. The libero noticed the change in your energy once you entered the gym with Shimizu. You looked too lost in your thoughts with your brows furrowed and a small scowl on your face. Shimizu had asked you to help with the chairs and it looked like you were lost in your own world while doing so. Your actions were slower than usual and your lips were pursed into a small pout. The usual bright expression you had while watching the boys has replaced with your eyes cast down with your eyebrows furrowed. You didn't even notice when Sugawara and Tanaka were trying to say hi to you as they passed by to grab their waters. Even Kageyama could easily see that you were faking your smile whenever the others asked if you were okay, brushing it off as stress from lectures. He knew that both of you wouldn’t be able to concentrate properly unless Nishinoya figured out what to do with you. Taking in a deep breath, Kageyama made his way towards Nishinoya and tapped him on the shoulder. </p><p>“U-Um...Nishinoya-san…” </p><p>“Oh, Kageyama, what’s up?” Nishinoya asked and tilted his head in confusion.</p><p>“I noticed that you keep looking at (Y/N)-san and I might know why she is like that…”</p><p>Kageyama gulped as he watched Nishinoya’s eyes widen and tilted his head back and a scowl on his face. “What did you do, Kageyama?” </p><p>The setter sighed as Hinata walked up to you and asked if you needed any help with the chairs and said, “I...accidentally might have said some harsh words to her.” </p><p>“You what?!” Nishinoya growled and impulsively dragged Kageyama to the side. Kageyama slightly stumbled, surprised at the strength Nishinoya had, and waited for him to say something. Taking deep breaths to calm down, the libero cleared his throat before letting go of the younger player and crossed his arms. </p><p>“How did that even come up?” </p><p>Kageyama looked down and clenched his fists as he remembered the slight flinch on your face when he became stern with you and shared all of the details to Nishinoya. The older boy could only sigh but mentally agree with what Kageyama told you. You've been teetering back and forth between saying yes or no and it's been a little frustrating since the third years had to come to a decision soon. Shimizu had also been trying her best to find another first year in case you decided not to take on the manager role. It was a habit of yours to constantly go back and forth with an important decision when the right answer was right in front of you. You were stubborn and everyone who knew you had to be really patient, as frustrating as it can get sometimes until you made a final decision. He gripped Kageyama’s shoulders and the latter was surprised to find Nishinoya smiling at him. </p><p>“She’ll cool down throughout practice. I know her well enough to tell you that as long as you apologize, she’ll be fine. (Y/N)-chan knows that you’re just looking out for her, especially since she’s just as passionate about volleyball as the rest of us. If anything I should thank you for doing so. She's so comfortable with the rest of the team that I guess she needed to hear it from someone who's similar to her, y'know? Just give it some time for her to really process things. If anything, you should try to get her attention or speak to her through your playing.” </p><p>Kageyama nodded and before he could make his way over to you, Daichi called everyone over to greet Ouginishi High. When the teams went to their respective sides of the court, your eyes widened in surprise as the boys began to casually take off their practice shirts to put on their jerseys. Blush crept onto your cheeks as you noticed all of their fit bodies and watched as Sugawara laughed at Hinata for putting his jersey on backward. Your eyes unconsciously lingered on Kageyama’s a little longer, but with his words from earlier still fresh in your mind, you shook your head to get rid of any inappropriate thoughts that managed to cross your mind. You were still slightly mad at him, even if he was telling the truth to you. Shimizu laughed at your initial reaction and reassured you that it was going to be normal for the guys to do something like that. </p><p>As the boys began to hype themselves up for the game, you looked on in amusement and said to yourself, “A flock of birds…”</p><p>Shimizu laughed and chimed in, “A flock...True, they are crows. But once the game starts, they get along great.” </p><p>“I mean you’re not wrong.” you murmured to yourself as you watched them bring it in and Daichi led the chant. </p><p>The boys made their way onto the court and a shiver went down your spine as you watched their demeanor completely change. From complete happy-go-lucky dorks that you dealt with every day, they became the upcoming force to be reckoned with. Kageyama caught your gaze towards the end and nodded at you. You raised an eyebrow and watched as he turned his head towards the court, mentally telling her that he was going to prove his point to you. Your gaze moved to Nishinoya who looked at the two of you and shrugged. You knew Mr. Rolling Thunder had something to do with the way Kageyama slightly changed his attitude towards her. <em> ‘So what are you trying to tell me...King.’ </em> Your gaze shifted back towards the setter as the ball was given to him and the whistle was blown. He smirked as he bounced the ball before looking at you from the corner of his eye. Your eyes stayed on him as he turned his attention towards the ball once more before throwing it in the air to do a jump serve. The ball felt good in his hands and satisfaction filled his body as everyone watched the ball hit the ground on the other side for an ace. Your eyes widened as you finally saw the tiniest accomplished smile on Kageyama’s face as the boys crowded around him and through the small gap, his eyes met yours. No one noticed, but you saw the cheeky smirk he directed at you and you could only cross your arms and playfully huff at him. <em> ‘I get your point, now you’re just being a showoff.’  </em></p><p>As the game progressed, you finally understood what everyone around you was trying to tell you. To be fair, you didn’t think being told off by Kageyama out of nowhere was going to be the catalyst for your realization. If anything, it was the prelude to the conversation that everyone was trying to have with you through their playing. Only those in love with the sport can really understand the underlying message and it actually reached you. You knew that volleyball was your life and even if your playing was put on pause for an indefinite amount of time, you could still be immersed in it. At the end of the game with Karasuno getting the win, you smiled to yourself. Watching the boys reminded you that you needed to become strong again. That meant you were  going to do whatever it took to be at the shape that you were before letting your confidence completely die out. </p><p><em> ‘Damn you Kageyama...but thank you,’ </em>you thought as Kageyama teased Hinata about being a tree in a school play while he was the moon.</p><p>“OI~ (Y/N)-chan, do you want to go home together today? Daichi said he’s buying all of his pork buns!” Nishinoya called out to you. </p><p>“Nah, I’ll join you next time Yu-nii. There’s actually something I need to do once I get home.” you smiled as you picked up your things. </p><p>“Aw, really? I was looking forward to catching up with you.” He whined before clinging onto your arm. </p><p>“There, there nii-chan. We can FaceTime once you get home alright? I’m going to need your opinion on what I’m working on.” </p><p>“Really?!” He asked excitedly.</p><p>“Yes sir~” </p><p>“Alright, you’re forgiven, (Y/N)-chan.” Nishinoya smiled before ruffling your hair. </p><p>You cussed underneath your breath and flipped off Nishinoya while he stuck his tongue out at you. Laughing to yourself, you exited the gym and began to make your way towards the gate. But before you reached the exit, you heard footsteps running towards you. You turned around to find Kageyama looking at you while trying to catch his breath. </p><p>“...Kageyama-kun?” you curiously asked.</p><p>Clearing his throat, he took in a deep breath to calm his nerves before walking up to you. You tilted your head to the side and he sighed before looking down and played with his water bottle. </p><p>“...I...just wanted to...apologize….about earlier. I didn’t mean to go off on you like that.” </p><p>You smiled softly and hugged your bag to yourself. “It’s okay Kageyama-kun, I already forgave you once you did your serve.” </p><p>“Y-You did?” he asked with wide eyes and snapped his head up to meet your gaze. </p><p>“Yeah, I mean you basically told me your thoughts in words albeit a bit harsh, but you also proved it to me on the court.” you chuckled and slung your bag onto your shoulders. You crossed your arms and adjusted your weight to your dominant leg. </p><p>Kageyama was surprised at your response and he unconsciously relaxed, letting his arms drop to his sides. He nodded for you to continue as you looked up at the sky before letting out a sigh. </p><p>“I’ve been hiding behind my injury ever since it happened and to be honest, that wasn’t who I was. I...hated myself for being weak and you were the only one who was straight up with me. I appreciated everyone giving me time, but I knew I was in the wrong. I needed to hear someone say it to my face or else I would continue just living in this kind of fantasy of running away, y’know?” </p><p>“Right.” </p><p>“I should really thank you for that wakeup call. To be honest, I can get real stubborn and annoying when I can't come to a decision. It must've been hard for everyone else when I always say 'I don't know yet.' So, thanks Kageyama-kun...I really needed that.” </p><p>His eyes softened as you looked at him with a sweet smile. “....So we’re good?” </p><p>You nodded happily, “We’re good, friends?” </p><p>You held out your hand for him to shake and for the first time in a while, Kageyama let his guard down in front of you as he shook your hand with a small, soft smile on his face. </p><p>“Friends.” </p><p>Neither of you wanted to pull away and was waiting for the other to let go while looking at each other. It felt oddly nice to have your hand in his. It was slightly rough from the years he's played, but still comforting in a way that you've never felt before. Thankfully, Hinata came running towards your direction and you coughed before letting go so no one would catch the small moment you shared with the usually stoic setter.</p><p>“Kageyama! Toss me a ball!” </p><p>“Hinata you dumbass, I’ll be right there!” Kageyama yelled back. He turned around to see that you had already reached the gate and you looked back. </p><p>Smiling at him once more, you waved goodbye and went on your way home. Kageyama looked down at the hand that was just holding yours and he smiled to himself. He was glad that things between you were smoothed out. There was a good feeling about you that made him believe that you could be one of the few people to really understand him. </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. - 5 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The boys come over for a tutoring session and finally, have a little peek of your personal life at home. Kageyama also touches base with you about your decision which has finally come to an answer.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is somewhat of a filler chapter! Well in some cases haha there are more moments with Kageyama though!<br/>All interactions with the story are much appreciated, but I would love to hear some feedback through comments ; ^ ; I'm not sure if my writing is any good, but I'm assuming it's been going alright considering all of the kudos?? </p><p>Anyways, don't forget to stay hydrated lovelies!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The blaring sound of a phone going off echoed through the bedroom as you sleepily reached out for it and took it off its charger. Squinting at the sudden brightness, you saw who was calling you and sighed. Right when you pressed the green button, the upbeat voice of your best friend could be heard. Still trying to wake up, you changed the call to be on speaker as you listened to Nishinoya ramble about his morning. Then you winced when he suddenly exclaimed about the new information he received from his fellow teammates during their morning practice.</p><p>“You’re tutoring the two idiots later today?!” </p><p>You yawned and stretched to get your body to feel more awake before replying, “Oh yeah...Hinata asked if they could squeeze in some more studying time before exams this week.”</p><p>“(Y/N)-chan, you’re a girl and you can’t just have two boys over when you’re home alone!” </p><p>You rolled your eyes and picked up your phone as you got out of bed. Making your way towards the kitchen, you smiled to yourself as you saw the plate of food your mom left. Taking a seat in front of the food, you settled down to enjoy your meal.</p><p>“You’re being overprotective Yu-nii. Just because our moms went on a trip together doesn’t mean you’re in charge of me.” </p><p>“UH YES I AM, I AM OLDER THAN YOU BY A YEAR.” </p><p>You laughed before digging into the food and said, “Okay and if it’ll ease your mind you can come over if you’d like and join us.” </p><p>“Ugh I wish I could, but I already promised Ryuu and Ennoshita that we would study together...we’re not trying to let you first years beat us!” </p><p>“Wait, how did you know they were coming over anyway?” You asked before taking a sip of your water. </p><p>“We had an early practice today and during our jog, Hinata was saying how excited he was to hang out with you.” </p><p>“Aw, that’s cute. He really is a ray of sunshine, isn’t he?” You snickered.</p><p>“(Y/N)-CHAN! Do you have a crush on Hinata?” </p><p>You burst out laughing and immediately said, “No I don’t Yu-nii, he seems like a brother to me at this point. Because of how innocent and bright he is, it makes me just want to take care of him like an older sister y’know?” </p><p>“Oh okay, that’s good to hear. Well, I’m glad BECAUSE I’M NOT READY TO LET YOU GO TO ANYONE ELSE. YOU’RE MY PRECIOUS LITTLE (Y/N)-CHAN.” </p><p>“There, there Yu-nii. You’ll always be my best friend, no one’s ever going to replace you. Even if I did get a boyfriend you’d just have to live with it.” </p><p>“Ugh whatever, I don’t even want to think about it yet. Anyways, I’m stopping by for dinner tonight. I’m going to need a breather after studying with the guys.” </p><p>Finishing up your breakfast, you hummed in response and gathered your dishes to clean them. </p><p>“What do you want for dinner? I’ll bring it over!” </p><p>“Oh~ if it’s your treat then I want takoyaki and yakisoba pan!” </p><p>“You’re so cheap.” </p><p>“Oh? So if you’re okay with paying more I want tonkotsu ramen, carbonara pasta, fried chicken, onigiri-” </p><p>“OKAY, OKAY TAKOYAKI AND YAKISOBA PAN IT IS. Geeze, you’re more simple than I thought.” </p><p>“I’m being easy on you, Yu-nii.”</p><p>“Alright, I got it. I’m about to go over to Ryuu’s house so let me know if Hinata or Kageyama do something you don’t like. We’ll be there in a flash to whip those two in shape.” </p><p>“Yeah, yeah~ take care Yu-nii.” </p><p>“You too (Y/N)-chan, I’ll let you know when I’m on my way later. Bye-bye!” </p><p>You smiled to yourself as you dried your hands and put away the dishes. It was always nice to know that Nishinoya would always be looking out for you even if he did so in such outgoing ways. His positive personality always lifted up your spirits especially since you were the more reserved one between the two of them. Taking a look at the clock the time for the boys to come over was nearing, so you decided to go ahead and get ready before cleaning up the apartment. </p><p>
  <em> ‘I wonder how today is going to go?’ </em>
</p><hr/><p>Hinata and Kageyama were walking side by side as they made their way towards your area. The two had met up at the intersection they usually split up from to walk together since they didn’t want to awkwardly show up and make a fool out of themselves in front of you if they had shown up by themselves. </p><p>“Hey Kageyama, I wonder what her room looks like? Do you think it’s all frilly and pink like on TV?” </p><p>“I don’t know.” </p><p>“I hope she doesn’t think we’re even more stupid since we’ll be studying with her longer.” </p><p>“Who knows?” </p><p>“Kageyama, you also need to be more welcoming to her.” </p><p>“Shut up, Hinata. I already know what I need to do.” </p><p>“Are you sure, you seem pretty scary towards her if you ask me.” He laughed. </p><p>Kageyama clicked his tongue before slapping the back of Hinata’s head. “You’re just imagining things, you idiot.” </p><p>He quickly fastened his pace to get a head start and the boys began another race to see who would reach there first. In a matter of seconds, they were standing in front of your apartment complex and Hinata called you to let them in. The boys made their way up and Kageyama knocked on the door to let you know that they had officially arrived. They could hear your footsteps approaching and their eyes widened at your appearance. Your hair was out of its usual braid and you were wearing an oversized graphic t-shirt that was tucked into a pair of light denim high-waisted shorts.</p><p>“Hinata, Kageyama-kun I’m glad you guys made it.” you smiled at them before walking into the apartment. </p><p>“H-H-Hi (L/N)-san! T-Thanks f-for h-having u-us!” Hinata stuttered as he clumsily took off his shoes. </p><p>“Y-Yeah, excuse us for the intrusion,” Kageyama said softly as he followed Hinata towards the living room. </p><p>“We’ll be studying in my room if that’s okay with you guys?” you asked as you began to make some tea for them.</p><p>“A-A-Are you sure?” Hinata asked as he blushed. </p><p>“Hinata, relax. You don’t have to be so formal. I thought we’re all friends at this point.” you replied as they watched you rummage around for their cups. </p><p>“Yeah, I guess you’re right, haha. My bad…” Hinata sheepishly said. </p><p>“It’s the room at the end of the hall, make yourselves comfortable! I’ll be there once the tea is finished.” </p><p>The boys followed your instructions and entered the room. They were surprised to find it very minimal. The walls were painted white with black trimmings and were filled with medals and certificates from the years that you played volleyball. There was a bed at the corner of the room next to your balcony and a desk that sat at the center and against the opposite wall. An array of polaroids were posted on the wall where your floor desk was. It had your laptop and textbooks neatly on top with a floor chair and your blazer hanging over it. On its side was a shoe rack and had a volleyball sitting on the corner of its top rock. A white coffee table sat in the middle of the room on top of a black rug with a couple of cushions for guests to sit on. Your closet was closed and located nearest by the door; painted with a chalkboard medium that was filled with all sorts of critiques for volleyball, self reminders, and important dates to keep an eye out for. Along the wall where your bed was, there was a body-size mirror snuggled on the opposite corner and a bookcase near it. You had a record player sitting on the floor with a couple of your favorite albums sitting in its holder.</p><p>“Woah...it’s so organized,” Hinata muttered as he let his bag drop by the coffee table and wandered over towards the wall where all your medals and certificates hung. </p><p>Kageyama let his eyes wander as he took in all the small things that you kept for yourself. He made his way over towards your desk and looked at the different memories you captured through your Polaroid. There were many of you and Nishinoya throughout the years from early childhood days to when you went to middle school together. He noticed that if you smiled hard enough, there was a small dimple that would appear on your left cheek. His eyes softened as he continued to see small tidbits of your life before you came to Karasuno. There were funny ones with your old teammates and a couple of photos with you and the upperclassmen. The one that mainly caught his attention was one that Nishinoya probably took for you. You were surrounded by your teammates as you held up the national trophy with happy tears streaming down your face, sitting in a wheelchair to celebrate your victory. </p><p><em> ‘She really loved volleyball, huh?’ </em>He thought to himself as Hinata walked up to him and looked at the photos as well. </p><p>“Do you think we’ll make it on her wall someday?” </p><p>Always leave it up to Hinata to voice some of his own personal thoughts that he could never say out loud. He shrugged and went to go sit down to get ready for their session. Hinata joined him as well just as you walked through the door with some snacks and their tea. As the three of you got out your notebooks, Kageyama couldn’t help but peek at the polaroid wall once more wishing that he’d have a special photo with you soon. </p><hr/><p>Before you knew it, the sun had already begun to set and Hinata freaked out. He was supposed to be on his way home already to look after his baby sister and Kageyama also needed to leave in order to pick up some food for his family. You walked them down towards the entrance and was taken aback to see both of them bow to you in thanks. </p><p>“Man, you’re a lifesaver! (L/N)-san, thanks for helping us study on a Saturday!” Hinata exclaimed with a bright smile on his face. </p><p>“Thanks,” Kageyama said and nodded at you. </p><p>“Sure, let’s do our best on the exam!” You smiled and Kageyama’s eyes slightly widened as he saw your dimple. </p><p><em> ‘Cute…’ </em> He thought as you and Hinata engaged in another conversation about your time as a volleyball player. Kageyama sighed and shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. He didn’t understand why his attention slowly shifted towards you whenever he was in the same space as you. His main priority was to focus on getting better as a setter so Karasuno can beat Seijoh the next time they play against them. </p><p>“Oh? The two idiots are still here?” Nishinoya asked as he walked up to the trio with a plastic bag filled with food slung over his shoulder. </p><p>“Noya-senpai!” Hinata exclaimed. </p><p>“I hope she was a good teacher to you guys?” He smiled at them before taking his place next to you. </p><p>“Yeah! I’m gonna ace that exam for sure now! I think!” </p><p>Nishinoya burst out laughing and went to slap Hinata on his back for some encouragement. “Just as I suspected, Hinata! You’re always so positive and let’s hope that what you’re actually saying is true! Or rather, I won’t let (L/N)-san’s kindness go to waste!” </p><p>“Kindness…' To have a caring heart. A term used to express a caring attitude one has for another.’” Kageyama muttered as he continued to mentally go over what they had been studying for. </p><p>Nishinoya stared at him before laughing again. “You better pass too or else you both won’t be able to go to Tokyo. That and you would have wasted my precious best friend’s time.” </p><p>You sweatdropped and tried to calm them down. “Now, now let’s have some faith in them Yu-nii. You’re basically in the same boat as them so don’t be trying to act so superior towards them.” </p><p>Nishinoya pouted while Hinata and Kageyama gave you thankful looks. You sighed as your best friend jumped onto you and looked at the other boys. “Have a safe trip home Hinata-kun, Kageyama-kun.” </p><p>They waved goodbye and Nishinoya let go of his grip on you. He cheekily held up the food he brought and stuck his thumb towards your apartment. “Let’s go eat shall we?” </p><p>You playfully rolled your eyes and made your way up to settle down for the night. Once all of the food was laid out in front of you, Nishinoya was about to play the movie you were planning on watching when out of nowhere your cell phone rang. You picked it up and was surprised to see who called you. </p><p>“Kageyama-kun?” you answered and Nishinoya sprang up from his seat, pointing at your phone with a mischievous glint in his eyes.</p><p>You let out a small gasp but Nishinoya was too quick for you as he tackled you, trying to get the phone out of your hand. On the other side of the line, Kageyama weirdly looked at his phone when he heard the chaos happening in your apartment. He raised an eyebrow at the clatter of the phone and slowly brought the phone back to his ear in time to hear Nishinoya over the line.</p><p>“HUUUUH?! KAGEYAMA?! LET ME ANSWER- WHAT ARE YOU- HEY DON’T SLAP ME AWAY- (Y/N)-CHAN!” </p><p>
  <em> “Um...is everything okay?”  </em>
</p><p>You kicked Nishinoya off of you and quickly ran to your room. Locking the door behind you, you walked towards the bed and plopped down onto it. </p><p>“Yeah, everything’s fine, sorry about that. Yu-nii was being annoying.” you laughed, slightly out of breath. </p><p>
  <em> “...R-Right…”  </em>
</p><p>Smiling in amusement, you shook your head and caught your breath. You mindlessly kicked your legs and asked, “Um...is there anything you needed, Kageyama-kun?” </p><p>
  <em> “I...um...accidentally left my notebook.”  </em>
</p><p>You sat up and glanced towards the blue notebook that had fallen off of the table. You went to go pick it up and said, “Oh yeah, I see it. Did you want me to give it to you tomorrow?” </p><p>
  <em> “Actually...I’m downstairs…I wanted to try and study more tonight.”  </em>
</p><p>Running towards your balcony, you looked down to see Kageyama looking down and then scuffed the ground with his foot. You giggled over the phone and leaned against the railings. </p><p>“Kageyama-kun, look up.” </p><p>His eyes widened as he heard you and looked up to see you smiling at him from your balcony. He felt something in his stomach that he only felt when his nerves were high during matches. As he racked his brain for the answer, you waved him up to signal that he could come to pick up his notebook. Clutching the strap of his bag, he swallowed down the nerves and couldn’t believe that he was nervous around you. </p><p>“What’s this?” </p><p>Kageyama was greeted by Nishinoya and a teasing smile. “Are you trying to get at my best friend, Kageyama?” </p><p>The setter clicked his tongue and was about to retort back only to have you intercept and push Nishinoya out of the way. You sheepishly smiled at Kageyama as you lightly pushed him towards the hallway and followed him out. He watched as you glared at the libero and closed the front door, then sigh in relief before turning your attention towards him. </p><p>“Sorry about Yu-nii I know he can be overbearing sometimes.” you said while holding out his notebook. </p><p>“I-It’s fine...I’m used to it because he’s like that at practice.” He mumbled and gently took it out of your grasp to put it inside of his bag. </p><p>“Thank you.” </p><p>“You’re welcome, I can walk you down too.” you offered and the two of you began to make their way towards the entrance. </p><p>A short and comfortable silence fell and Kageyama was trying to figure out how to start a conversation with you. You looked up and smiled to yourself when you noticed his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Trying to help him relax from worrying so much about his social nature, you decided to start the conversation.</p><p>“Are you nervous for the exam?” </p><p>Kageyama looked down at you as you looked in front of them with your arms behind your back and he shrugged. “Not really, you’ve been a lot of great help to us.” </p><p>“That’s good.” </p><p>Another silence fell and you finally reached the entrance. You stood in front of him and rocked on your heels, waiting to see if he would say something. He cleared his throat and looked towards the street before he asked, “Have you decided if you’re going to be our manager or not?” </p><p>You hummed in thought as you guys ended up looking at the strangers that passed by. “I’m still thinking about it. There are still some things I need to figure out.” </p><p>He peered down at you before readjusting his bag and said, “(L/N)-san, at this rate, you can’t move forward. If you want to do this, you have to just believe in yourself that you are able to.” </p><p>“Yeah...I guess you’re right.” you softly said as once again, Kageyama knocked some sense into you as if he could read right through the barricade you put up for yourself. </p><p>“...And I’d like to have you as our manager too…” Kageyama quietly added. </p><p>Your eyes widened as he rubbed his neck, a slight tinge of red could be seen on his cheeks. You chuckled and warmly smiled at him. </p><p>“Well if you put it that way, I guess I can’t say no to this offer, huh?” you teased. “I’m kidding, but really though, thanks Kageyama-kun. I guess I can’t let you down after all that you’ve said to me. Just wait for me to settle some things first.” <em> ‘Like going to Ukai-san’s store tomorrow to talk about my past and how we can incorporate my skills into your practice…’ </em> you thought to yourself as a million of new ideas began to form in your head. It also reminded you that there was finally something you could do that would help the team raise money for their bus.</p><p>His eyes softened and a faint smile could be seen on his face. “You’re welcome, (L/N)-san.” </p><p>You smiled widely and excitedly tugged on the strap of his bag. Kageyama raised an eyebrow at you. “In that case, there’s something I need from you and Hinata for help.” </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. - 5.5 - Side Chapter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You head to Ukai’s store to have a conversation. He learns about some of your past and what your future goals were before coming to Karasuno. You both also come up with some new ideas that can help during practice.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Side chapter to learn a little bit more of your past as a volleyball player and some of your new responsibilities as their manager! It’s just a cute little small thing I decided to write to help with the context of the story. Hope you guys like it! &lt;3 Part 6 should be up by the end of this week!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a cool morning when you waved goodbye to your mom and skateboarded towards Sakanoshita. The temperature was just right and with the weekend in full effect, the streets were bustling with families and friends enjoying their time off. You smiled to yourself as you turned the corner and cruised through different alleyways to cut the time from being on the main streets. It felt nice to finally have a clear mind and a set goal for yourself. For the longest time, it was as if the path in front of you was endless. Whenever you thought about volleyball, flashbacks of your last game constantly plagued your mind. But recently, thanks to all your new friends, your mind was filled with all the new memories you were able to make with the sport. Just like how Tanaka and Nishinoya would always fanboy over Shimizu and you would have to be the one to drag them away from her. Moments with your fellow first years: Hinata always coming into your classroom to hang out with you, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima grouping up with you during free periods to go over the class material, and Kageyama constantly asking you for critiques whenever you helped him practice with Hinata. Sugawara would always check in on you to make sure that you were keeping up with school and Daichi would check in to make sure that you were having your meals. Asahi would try his best to help you with carrying the water if Shimizu was busy with Takeda and Ukai, reassuring you that it wasn’t a hassle and that it was his way of hanging out with you during school hours. <b><br/>
</b></p><p>You smiled to yourself and leaned your head back, enjoying the warm sun rays that were beaming down on you. It was a blessing in disguise to be dragged into their world, no your world, once again. You had missed the feeling of the ball in your hands and feeding off of the hunger and determination that radiated off of the players in the gym. The newfound warmth you felt whenever you were with them felt like a new beginning for you. And maybe that’s what you’ve been needing for the longest time: a clean slate from your past and a fresh mind to fall in love with the sport all over again. Stretching your arms, you hummed your favorite song and smiled widely when you saw the store’s front right in front of you. </p><p>Skidding to a stop, you kicked your board into your arms before going into the store. You passed by the aisles to try and find Ukai, but he was nowhere to be found. With a shrug, you set your skateboard on top of one of the empty tables and decided to pick out some snacks. </p><p>“Oi Coach! Where are you?” you asked as you skimmed the shelves of chips in front of you. </p><p>“In the back! I’ll be right out, kid!” he yelled back. </p><p>“Osu~” you replied back and grabbed your favorite bag of chips before heading towards the refrigerated section in the front. </p><p>As you grabbed a cold bottle of Ramune, Ukai emerged from the back room and ruffled your hair. </p><p>“Thanks for coming out kid, I know this isn’t your ideal way of spending your weekend, but I needed your help with the boys,” he said as he grabbed his notebook and pen from behind the counter. </p><p>You smiled and waved it off. “It’s fine, coach. I’m glad I can help.” </p><p>The two of you sat down at the table and you set your skateboard on the floor. You leaned against the back of the chair and crossed one leg over the other as he mirrors your actions with his arms crossed against his chest. </p><p>“(L/N) (F/N). Chidoriyama’s infamous female wing spiker and pinch server. Currently on hiatus due to a torn ACL.”</p><p>You chuckled and raised an eyebrow at the older man. “Yes, that is I.” </p><p>“How did you get into volleyball?” </p><p>“My dad; he used to play during his high school and university days. When I was younger, they wanted to figure out what kind of extracurricular activity to put me in. My mom put me in dance while my dad put me in volleyball. I didn’t like how stuck up the kids in my ballet class were, so I dropped it and just had more fun with volleyball.” </p><p>“And how long have you been playing?” </p><p>You grabbed your chips and opened the bag. Ukai shook his head when you offered him some and you shrugged before answering. </p><p>“Hm…probably since I was like six or seven? My dad started off with just receiving and then when I got good at that, he taught me serving before putting me in weekend classes.” </p><p>“That’s a long time kid, I’ve seen some of your plays recently and I can see you be a lot of help with the team. Well, that is until you’re ready to personally become a part of the girl’s team.” </p><p>“The girl’s team?” you asked more to yourself then towards him as you munched on some of the chips. </p><p>“C’mon, I’m assuming you’ve dreamt about making it big. It’s just a matter of time until your body is back in top shape.” </p><p>“Coach, I barely told you last night that I agreed to be the manager. Let’s take it one step at a time, alright?” you laughed and he sheepishly smiled back at you. </p><p>“Yeah, you’re right, sorry I was getting ahead of myself.” Ukai laughed and then cleared his throat. “So what do you think of the boys so far?” </p><p>“Hm…” you started as you tried to gather your thoughts and opened your bottle of Ramune. “I think they’re okay so far. Some of them still need to improve on their receives, Kags and Shoyo still need to improve on their quick combo, and overall the team dynamic needs to improve. We just need to nitpick and note down the smaller aspects of it for their next training camp.” </p><p>“True, that’s what I began to notice as well. We can start off with different drills and solidify on the current struggles for now. Then after the camp, we can get down to the finer details.” </p><p>You nodded your head in agreement and said, “Yeah, that sounds like a solid plan for now.” </p><p>He sighed in relief and relaxed in his chair. “Thank god you’re here, kid. It gets stressful sometimes being the only one coming up with plays.” </p><p>You laughed as Ukai’s typical grumpy face relaxed and got up to toss your trash away. “No prob, coach. Glad I can use my expertise again.” </p><p>“Ah, that reminds me, I need you to come up with different plays the boys can try out. I want to add more towards the second years since we’ve been focusing too much more with our starting lineup.” Ukai said as rested his arms behind his neck. </p><p>“You got it coach.” you smiled at him and gave him the ‘okay’ sign. He watched as you picked up your board and motioned towards the door. </p><p>“Well if that’s all you needed…” </p><p>“Ah, wait!” he said while getting up from his seat and went towards the counter. He rummaged around for a paper bag and grabbed the tongs that were hanging off the handle of the heater for his family’s infamous buns. </p><p>“Compensation for coming out today. Your snacks are also on the house.” he cheekily smiled. </p><p>You gasped and smiled excitedly, jogging towards the counter and watched him fill up the bag. </p><p>“What was your next goal if you weren’t injured?” he asked. </p><p>You played with one of the wheels of your board and pursed your lips. “I…was supposed to go to Niyama High with my libero and captain.” </p><p>“Niyama?! Why didn’t you follow through?” </p><p>Silently, you motioned towards your knee as your expression deadpanned. </p><p>“Oh, right.” </p><p>You rolled your eyes and smirked. “C’mon coach, don’t tell me you’re getting old already and having short term memory.” </p><p>He clicked his tongue and whacked you on the head with the rolled-up newspaper by the cashier. You laughed and grabbed the bag he slid towards you. </p><p>“You know I’m kidding, but anyway, it’s as cliché as it can be. I needed a fresh start and Yu-nii suggested I go to Karasuno. He’d show me the ropes and I’ll be on my merry way.” </p><p>“Would you ever consider transferring back?” he asked as he lazily sat down on his chair behind the counter and took out a cigarette. </p><p>You immediately shook your head as you made your way towards the door. He lit it up and blew some out, settling into his usual routine at the store. </p><p>“Nah, the team is family now. So that means Karasuno is my home. But don’t tell the boys I told you that.” you smirked before saluting at the older man and exited the store. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. - 6 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Exams at Karasuno are finally finished. While you talk about exam results with Hinata and Kageyama, he notices something you’ve recently found out and the two of you grow a little closer now that he’s found out your little secret. Then fast forward to the training camp, you reunite with old friends and for old time’s sake, play a small game with them.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the delay everyone! I had a pretty busy weekend but part 6 is finally here! Thank you for reading and I appreciate any interaction that these parts receive. I hope you enjoy the update! As always, it’ll be cross-post on Tumblr! Stay hydrated lovelies! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The relieved sighs and voices of students echoed through Karasuno High as the student body wrapped up exams. The volleyball club was reaching its goal through donations thanks to the posters that you had made and posted up throughout the school and town. It first started off with just Kageyama and Hinata but then the rest of the team pestered you into making posters of them too. This only happened because Nishinoya had tagged along on your weekend photoshoot and ever since he saw the way you captured the two of them on camera, your best friend constantly bugged you to do one for him. When you guys got to practice, the rest of the team overheard his complaining and they all ganged up on her. You gave in when they all came together and gave you the cutest pouting faces you’ve ever seen with the exception of Kageyama and Tsukishima. Kageyama was minding his own business since he already got his photo taken while Tsukishima just scoffed but still met her gaze before shrugging as if to say ‘It’s up to you if you want to include me or not.’ In the end, the following weekend ended up being a whole photoshoot with the team to highlight all of their specialties as well as a team photo before getting the rest of the posters printed.<b><br/></b></p><p>Although exams had ended, it was another practice day for the boys and Shimizu had pulled you away for a moment so the boys could get ready for their welcoming surprise for you. Word had spread that you were officially going to be their manager through Tanaka who couldn’t wait to share the news in the team’s group chat after he overheard you talking to Takeda after school earlier that week about your final decision. After gathering water for the boys, you were back in the gym and found that the team had lined up by the door to greet you. Shimizu joined the boys as Daichi walked up to stand next to you to make the official announcement. </p><p>“So, we’ve finished our exams, and starting today, (L/N)-san will officially be one of our team managers.” </p><p>You gave everyone a small smile as Shimizu walked up to you with your team jacket. </p><p>“Here,” she said. </p><p>Everyone watched as you held up the jacket in front of them before hugging it to your chest. They all gave you bright smiles with Tsukishima and Kageyama nodding their heads at you. Daichi ruffled your hair before leading the chant for everyone. </p><p>“Ready and…”</p><p>“Welcome to the Karasuno High School Volleyball Club!” they cheered. </p><p>With teary eyes and a newfound determination, you bowed and exclaimed, “It’s a pleasure to work with you!” </p><p>“ALRIGHT! (Y/N)-CHAN IS BACK IN THE GAME!” Tanaka cheered as he stripped off his shirt and began to wave it around. Hinata and Nishinoya joined in on his cheers as the third years walked up to you. </p><p>“We’re looking forward to seeing what you’ll bring to the table, kiddo.” Asahi smiled and patted your head before grabbing his water bottle. </p><p>“I knew you’d say yes, (Y/N)-chan,” Sugawara said and gave you a hug. </p><p>“We wouldn’t have it any other way.” Daichi finished as Shimizu nodded her head and patted your shoulders. </p><p>“Now all that’s left is the boys’ test results.” you murmured as you watched the boys begin their practice.</p><hr/><p>“(L-L/N)-san…” </p><p>You looked up from your cellphone to find Hinata and Kageyama approaching you in the classroom. You weren’t going to lie, you were nervous to find out their test results because Nishinoya had already texted you that he and Tanaka barely managed to pass. You could only sigh as you read their expressions and put your phone in your bag to listen to what they had to say. </p><p>“Trust me when I said we really tried our best! We didn’t mean for this to happen!” Hinata pouted as he slowly slid his results towards you. </p><p>Then you looked at Kageyama who silently looked down in frustration and slid his exam towards you as well. Taking in a deep breath, you closed your eyes and flipped both of the exams over. Hinata ended up getting 21 and Kageyama received a 38 and before you could think properly, you let your head fall to your desk. A loud thud was heard and you could feel your soul slowly leaving your body.</p><p>“(L/N)-san?!” they exclaimed. </p><p><em>‘I had such high hopes for them…’</em> you internally cried, <em>‘Wait a minute-’</em>. </p><p>Looking through their exams once more, you clicked your tongue and whacked Hinata on the arm. </p><p>“HI. NA. TA. All of your answers were correct but you filled in all your answers off by one!” you hissed and he held his palms together to bow his head. </p><p>“Once I realized it, there wasn’t enough time to fix it!” he pouted. </p><p>You huffed then shifted your attention to Kageyama’s exam. After skimming through his answers, you pinched the bridge of your nose before handing their exams back to them. “Kageyama-kun, you need to stop having tunnel vision when it comes to studying…it seemed to be all comprehension rather than memorization…"</p><p>“…At least I tried and got a perfect score in Kanji… “ he muttered in defeat.</p><p>You took a deep breath and mentally reassured yourself that they couldn’t become textbook geniuses overnight. Lifting up your head, you gave them an encouraging smile and shrugged. “There’s always next time, right? And if it helps you feel better, since you guys only failed one part of your exams, you should be able to make it to Tokyo in the afternoon. Usually, the first exam is in the morning and if you have any other parts you need to work on, it goes on throughout the day.” </p><p>Their eyes widened in realization but also paused for a bit to notice the small red mark on your forehead. </p><p>“(L/N)-san, your head…” Hinata said as he pointed towards the small injury. </p><p>You laughed and touched it, only to wince slightly and Kageyama sighed. Taking out the second carton of milk he got for himself from his bag, he silently gave it to you and motioned towards your head. </p><p>“You idiot, you didn’t have to react like that and now you might have a bruise. Noya-senpai is going to kill us if he found out we were the reason for that.” </p><p>You took the carton of milk out of his grasp and smiled in thanks as Hinata quickly read the mood change and realized what was going on. He knew that the three of you were growing close as friends because of the daily study sessions and constant chats during practice, but he didn’t think that Kageyama would catch interest in you. Smiling to himself, he watched as Kageyama huffed and you chuckled in response before placing the cold drink against your head. </p><p>“…idiot.” he murmured before walking away. </p><p>“Yeah, yeah Kageyama-kun. Thank you for actually caring about me,” you replied in a sing-song tone and waved him goodbye as he walked out of the classroom. </p><p>“Say…do you have a crush on Kageyama, (L/N)-san?” </p><p>You jumped in surprise and let out a small ‘eek’ as Hinata smiled cheekily. He grabbed a chair that was near him and turned it around so he could rest his arms on top of the backrest. You puffed out your cheeks and wearily eyed the orange-haired boy in front of you. Swinging his legs back and forth, he waited for you to say something. You didn’t expect for Hinata to catch on so quickly. But it wasn’t like he was actually right about it, you just weren’t sure what to think of Kageyama. There was something about having this unspoken understanding with each other that you haven’t had with anyone else. You had only recently noticed this after he had picked up his notebook. No one was able to relate to how your mind worked whenever it came to volleyball and yet Kageyama easily saw through the façade you put up to cope with the mental stress that came along with your injury. Was it a crush? You weren’t sure, but with the constant presence of him in your mind, maybe Hinata was right after all.</p><p>“I wouldn’t say it’s a crush…He’s someone that I think I can get along with very easily…” you muttered in thought.</p><p>“It’s okay to admit that you have a crush on him, he is pretty good looking even if he does come off as scary.” Hinata snickered. </p><p>“I don’t know yet, it’s too early to tell Hinata.” you retorted and rolled your eyes, taking out your notebook for the next lecture. <em>‘Damn it, Hinata is sharper than I thought…’ </em> you observed and tried to distract yourself. </p><p>“You haven’t flat out denied it, (L/N)-san. Plus you can keep a secret with me! I can help you out with him too!” </p><p>“HI. NA. TA.” you threatened and he sheepishly smiled when you held your arm up to whack him again.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but tease! I just have never seen Kageyama react like that with someone so I was just curious.” He quickly said while laughing with his hands held up. </p><p>You sighed and busied yourself by twirling your pencil, “Who knows?” </p><p>“What about this then, to change the subject?” Hinata asked. </p><p>You looked at him from the corner of your eyes as he smiled at you. “Since I might be the first one to figure out your little secret, let’s call each other by our first names!” </p><p>You hummed in thought since you did feel immediately closer to Hinata after you first met. It also helped that you were the same age and you didn’t really have that many friends in your class. After taking a couple of moments to think about it, you smiled and nodded to his words. It felt good to grow close to someone like this again. </p><p>“Sure, Shoyo!” you happily replied. </p><p>Hinata cheered as the bell rang and he sprang up from his seat to get back to his class on time. “I’ll see you at practice then, (F/N)!” </p><hr/><p>You stretched your arms as you stepped away from doing meal prep with the rest of the managers. The team had arrived in Tokyo earlier that morning and had been introduced to the members that were on Nekoma. You laughed at the fan club that Shimizu had garnered but wasn’t surprised when their attention went towards you. Nishinoya and Tanaka did their best to act as your bodyguards when they went over towards the gym where the camp would be taking place. Once the boys were in their zone, you found it nice to be surrounded by the other female managers and joking with them. The girls all ended up making a group chat to keep each other in the loop for the schedule and with the promise of continuing on once the camp finishes. </p><p>You looked at your phone to see that the boys should be arriving soon, although you were worried about Hinata and Kageyama’s safety after finding out it was Tanaka’s sister who was driving them. Hinata had texted you once they had finished and he told you that Tanaka asked Saeko to help out. Having your own experience with the older woman’s driving, you said a mental prayer for them. That woman really knew how to get to places and always cut the time by almost half of its original prediction. </p><p>It was break time for everyone and you needed some time away to recharge. Walking around the grounds, you let your mind wander before coming back to an empty gym. Going inside, you hummed to herself before stretching out your legs. Your knee still felt tight, but you recently had her last therapy session. Your therapist said that you should focus on restrengthening your knee before seriously thinking about going back to playing the sport. You grunted as you realized you couldn’t bend her leg as much as you could before and decided you could just serve some balls across the court. </p><p>“Oya?” </p><p>You turned around to find Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo walking into the gym after doing a couple of serves.</p><p>“Oya, oya?” Bokuto asked as they looked at you. </p><p>“Oya, oya, oya.” Kuroo continued before smiling at you. </p><p>“Ah, Kou-kun! Tetsu-kun!” You smiled and they ran towards you at the same time, lifting you up in their arms for a huge hug. </p><p>“You goddamn giants put me down!” you giggled. </p><p>“I didn’t think you’d come back to the scene.” Bokuto smiled as he ushered Akaashi to join them. </p><p>“I didn’t think I would either but I guess here I am.” you snorted and gave him a fist bump.</p><p>“Well it’s good to see you back, chibi-chan,” Kuroo added as he patted your head. </p><p>“This is Akaashi by the way, he’s a setter on our team.” </p><p>You smiled at Akaashi who gave you a wave and Kuroo walked off to pick up the ball. He smirked and tossed the ball towards you who caught it with ease. </p><p>“How about a small rally, for old time’s sake?” </p><p>Bokuto immediately brightened up and began to drag Akaashi to the other side of the court. “We’ll go against you guys!” </p><p>“You gotta take it easy on me you guys.” You said and gave them an exasperated look. </p><p>Kuroo raised an eyebrow at you when you walked up to him and snickered. “You say that, but your eyes tell a different story. You want to tear Bokuto apart on the court again.” </p><p>Bokuto pouted and said, “Hey, that’s so mean (Y/N)-chan! Either way, we’ll still beat you, HAHAHA.” </p><p>You playfully rolled your eyes and went towards the serving line without any objection. “What I’m saying is that you both tend to play on very intense levels. You need to tone it down because I’m still, oh I don’t know, crippled.” </p><p>“Hey, that’s nothing to joke about, chibi-chan.” </p><p>“Whatever Tetsu-kun, let’s just get at it, shall we?” you smirked. </p><p>“Oh and there she is, ladies and gentlemen. (L/N) (F/N) back in the game, oh how we’ve missed the Firecracker.” Bokuto playfully announced. </p><p>“Yeah, yeah.” you murmured before bouncing the ball up in the air for a jump serve. </p><p>At this point, the four members on the court zoned in on their fun game when the others of the camp started filing back into the gym to continue the mock tournament. They watched as the small and agile girl who was only (x) centimeters tall kept up with some of the best players in the prefecture. Your friends that have seen you play smiled in pride as they finally got to see the specific smile you had whenever you’re on the court while those who haven’t seen you play were surprised at your skill. What not many people knew was that you had gone to the same Youth Camp as Kuroo and Bokuto and that’s how you became friends with each other. Your father lived in Tokyo and you stayed with him during the summers where he signed you up for volleyball. Ever since that day, it was the start of your journey with the beloved sport. </p><p>The coaches called for the game to stop so they could get back to the schedule and it was tied between the four of them. It was Bokuto’s turn to serve and you gave Kuroo a signal. He smirked and just as Bokuto served the ball, Kuroo let you take the game to its end. You quickly dived for the ball and hit it towards Kuroo who set it up in the air for you. Running towards the other side, you bit your lip and ignored the pinch in your knee as you jumped and spiked the ball right in the middle of Bokuto’s arms as they tried to block you. The gym watched in awe as the ball hit the ground and you let yourself fall onto your back. Slowly, the bystanders began to clap as Bokuto and Kuroo screamed in joy and ran towards you to help you up. Akaashi looked at you in awe as they surrounded you and the court began to fill in with teams to resume practice. </p><p>“You still got it!” Bokuto cheered before picking you up in a hug and spinning you around. </p><p>“That was one of the most fun sets I’ve played in a while. Let’s play again this weekend if we can.” Kuroo grinned before ruffling your hair and meeting up with his team. </p><p>“You were amazing, (L/N)-san. We’ll see you around.” Akaashi complimented before bowing and dragging Bokuto towards their respective team as well. </p><p>You laughed and turned to look at Karasuno who was just staring at you in awe. Meeting the gaze of your best friend and still riding the high of adrenaline that you loved so much, you gave him a thumbs up and the brightest smile you’ve had in a while. Nishinoya took in a deep breath as he held in his emotions and was about to run towards you when the doors of the gym bust wide open to see that the anticipated duo had finally arrived. Their determined eyes landed on their team and quickly ran over to only change their expression to see that they had missed something. Nishinoya muttered them a short greeting before jogging his way towards you to make sure you were alright and they looked at Sugawara for some answers. </p><p>The third-year smiled and nodded towards your figure on the floor who was getting reprimanded by Nishinoya. You were laughing as Noya helped you stretch out your knee while yelling all of the things that could have gone wrong with that game. They looked back at you to see that you were sweating and your braid had slightly come undone. A volleyball sat snuggly in between your arms and Kageyama quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together. </p><p>“She played?!” he asked with wide eyes and Hinata's jaw dropped. </p><p>“And we missed it?!” </p><p>“There, there. Maybe this can serve as an inspiration to pass next time.” Daichi laughed as he slung his arms over their shoulders. </p><p>“Who did (F/N)-chan play with?!” Hinata asked as they slowly made their way to their respective spot on the court. </p><p><em>‘(F/N)-chan…? Since when were they on a first name basis?’</em> Kageyama thought as he listened in on Sugarawa sharing the details with them. </p><p>“We came back into the gym because our break was over, only to find her playing with Kuroo-san, Bokuto-san, and Akaashi-san.” </p><p>“Eh?! She was able to play against those three?! Woah, (F/N)-chan you’re amazing! I can’t believe we missed it!” Hinata cried as he hurriedly ran up to you and pouted. </p><p>Kageyama was impressed and made his way towards the group to see how you were doing. Hinata had helped you up to your feet and you grabbed the carriers that held the team’s water bottled. You smiled at both of them when Kageyama reached you and shrugged. “Maybe I’ll play with you guys soon, so don’t be too sad. To be honest, it was just a game on a whim. I wanted to serve by myself before anyone came and before I knew it, I got swept up in a mock two versus two with them.”</p><p>“How do you know them?” Yamaguchi asked as you smiled and passed him his water bottle. </p><p>“We went to the same youth camp when we were younger. Well…just Bokuto and Kuroo though, I just met Akaashi-san today,” you explained. </p><p><em>‘Just how good is her actual skill? If she played with Kuroo and Bokuto at a young age…I want to see her play.’</em> Kageyama sighed as he let his thoughts roam and grabbed his bottle out of the carrier. </p><p>Coach Ukai called over to them and he instantly knew it was time to get focused. He and Hinata were already late so it was time to make up for all the time that they missed. Kageyama would have to find out about your past later either from you or Nishinoya because curiosity was eating him up inside. He needed to know because of how much he’s heard. The strong were always on the court and there was a part of him that wanted to find out just how strong of a player you could be, especially growing up with one of the top players from Tokyo.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. - 7 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The first day of training camp has come to an end and the night is still young. After thinking about the boys’ current status at the camp, you spend some time with the rest of the managers. The topic of boys comes up and you can’t help but spill your secret to them. As the night goes on, you end up at the gym and try to get in some personal training in when Kageyama shows up. You finally get to have a moment with the one person who has recently been taking up all of your thoughts.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As promised, here is part 7! I appreciate any interaction with this story, but it really does help if there is some feedback on it! And as always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <p>You bit your lip as you walked out of the girl’s bathroom with a towel wrapped around your neck. Your wet hair cascaded down as you mindlessly began to dry it. Your mind was elsewhere as flashbacks of the boys during their last match took up your attention. You were mentally going through your observations of the rest of their practice matches and compared it to how they were then to their current status. You knew that their loss against Seijoh was heavy on their minds and seeing how the other teams were really strong, it would obviously take a toll on your boys. Of course, that meant using this camp to their advantage to better themselves. You just winced every time that they had to do diving drills as punishment, which was basically the whole day for them. You wished there was something more that you could do and the boys always reassured you that it’s just a part of the process. But with Kageyama and Hinata in the mix, it gives you some relief to know that they could get some wins under their belt. Hinata’s change in attitude was worrying you as you remembered noticing that his head wasn’t in it as much as usual. You had followed his gaze at some point during their Nekoma match to find that Lev had caught everyone’s attention. He was a new power to reckon with on the team of cats, but you hoped that it wouldn’t stump your friend as much as he let on. Sighing, You gripped your towel in worry, wondering to see if the change of pace would ruin the boys’ team dynamics. Thankfully, the first day had come to an end and everyone was winding down for the night. You pushed away your worries and mentally reminded yourself to wake up earlier than the call time to work on some new strategies for the team.</p>
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  <p>“Welcome back, (Y/N)-chan!” One of the managers from Shinzen High greeted you. </p>
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  <p>“How was your shower?” Shimizu asked as you put back your things into your bag. </p>
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  <p>“It was good, haha. What have you guys been up to while I was gone?” </p>
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  <p>“We were talking about the boys!” Suzumeda Kaori, one of the managers from Fukurodani, grinned as she hugged her pillow. </p>
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  <p>The other girls in the room giggled as you raised an eyebrow at them. “Oh? So we’re starting now, huh?” </p>
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  <p>“I mean why not? It means we have more time to gossip about them as the camp continues.” The manager from Ubugawa added. </p>
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  <p>“They aren’t wrong, (Y/N)-chan, so let’s enjoy, hm?” Shimizu smiled at you. </p>
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  <p>“I guess…” you grinned and got comfy in your futon. </p>
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  <p>“(Y/N)-chan, do you have a thing for Kuroo or Bokuto? We saw you playing with them earlier!” one of the girls asked. </p>
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  <p>You laughed so hard you had to clutch your sides. You frantically waved your hands and shook your head as they looked at you with questioning looks. “Nah, they’re like my brothers! Just like Nishinoya, I grew up with them.” </p>
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  <p>“Eh? So that means they’re free to flirt with!” one of the girls cheered.</p>
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  <p>You shrugged and said, “Tetsuro can be a tease with girls but Koutaro is very oblivious, it’s like the only thing that goes on in his mind is volleyball.” </p>
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  <p>“What about you, Kiyoko-chan? (Y.N)-chan? It could be from another school or even your own, but has anyone caught your eye?” Shirofuku Yukie, the other manager of Fukurodani, asked with a cheeky glint in her eyes. </p>
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  <p>Shimizu shrugged and readjusted her glasses. “Not really, not at the moment anyway. They all share one brain cell so none has appealed to me in that way.” </p>
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  <p>“Eh~ you’re just trying to act cool like always Kiyoko-chan!” </p>
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  <p>The girls giggled and the attention was turned back towards you. You awkwardly glanced down at your hands and pursed your lips in contemplation to share what’s been on your mind. </p>
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  <p>“Oh? I think she does like someone!” </p>
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  <p>Shimizu grinned to herself as she had noticed you interacting more with a certain setter during practices. You sighed before looking down at your pillow and muttered his name underneath your breath. </p>
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  <p>“What was that? We can’t hear you~” Kaori teased. </p>
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  <p>“...K-Kageyama-kun…” you muttered just loud enough for them to hear. </p>
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  <p>The girls shrieked as you hid your face behind your pillow and Shimizu comfortingly patted her shoulders. You felt your entire face warm up and groaned when you heard all of the comments from the girls. </p>
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  <p>“That’s so cute!” </p>
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  <p>“Aw, and they’re both first years.”</p>
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  <p>“Wouldn’t that be hard though?” </p>
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  <p>You shrugged and smiled to yourself, setting your pillow on your lap. “I know it’s still pretty early...but I’m okay with just being friends with him because I know how much volleyball means to him. I can just continue rooting for him as a manager and fan.” </p>
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  <p>“That’s so romantic!” the girls said together and you laughed. </p>
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  <p>The night continued on as the girls continued to talk about the boys and tips were shared on how to keep all their rowdiness at bay. Soon enough and one by one, the girls began to fall asleep. You sighed as you got up to turn off the lights after stuffing your phone in your pocket. You were the last one awake and still didn’t feel like going to sleep. Even after a long day like today, if your mind wouldn’t let you sleep, there was no way to relax. </p>
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  <p>Slipping on a pullover hoodie, you quietly made your way out of the classroom and figured you might as well continue to work on your knee. You leisurely headed towards one of the gyms and turned on its light. <em>‘Thank goodness no one is awake…’</em> Grinning to the thought of finally having the entire gym to yourself, you went into its supply room and grabbed a jump rope and resistance band. Getting back onto the floor, you set the resistance band on the ground as well as the water bottle you brought with you. With a tap on your phone, you let music play and began to do some reps with the jump rope to warm up in the middle of the court.</p>
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  <p>“Um…” you heard someone say behind you. </p>
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  <p>You stopped jumping and turned around in surprise to find Kageyama looking back at you. He was wearing grey sweats and a black hoodie with his hood on. You smiled as he looked at her set up and you shrugged. </p>
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  <p>“I couldn’t sleep.” </p>
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  <p>“Me neither.” He replied and slid his hood off, stepping into the gym. </p>
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  <p>“Are you going to practice your serves?” </p>
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  <p>He nodded silently and quickly made his way towards the basket that held the volleyballs. A comfortable silence fell upon you two as you each got into your zones. You had moved on to using the resistance band for some squats and stretching. Kageyama couldn’t help but keep an eye on you as he served, making sure that the balls never hit your corner. Once he had settled in with the basket, you had walked off and settled in the corner closest to the door so he would have to space. While doing his own practice, Kageyama couldn’t get over the fact that he missed seeing you in action today all because he failed his exam the first time. With a sigh, he focused on the ball that was in his hands and began to serve as usual. He watched as it went towards the other side of the court, but was surprised to see you receive the ball. </p>
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  <p>“Shouldn’t you be stretching out your leg?” he asked in surprise. </p>
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  <p>You shrugged and said, “I’m basically in the final phases. Ever since I became a manager, I’ve been taking my treatment a lot more seriously. My therapist and doctor gave me the okay to slowly get back on to the court, just not as intense as I was before.” </p>
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  <p>Kageyama nodded and you met his gaze before smiling at him. He watched as you walked towards the serving line and he unconsciously began to analyze your movements and positioned himself ready to receive the ball. But before he could fully register your serve, the ball had already flown right past him. You cheekily laughed at his reaction when he looked at you then at the ball in surprise. </p>
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  <p><em>‘What speed and control…’  </em>He thought to himself as he blinked back at you.</p>
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  <p>“Surprised?” you asked. </p>
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  <p>Kageyama cleared his throat while he picked up the ball. Taking a deep breath, the setter readied for his turn as his gaze changed. He picked up on the challenging tone you gave him and if anyone knew him, they knew that he enjoyed being put up to a challenge. You smirked while silently watching his whole demeanor changed before your eyes. This was one of the sides of Kageyama you enjoyed because this was when he shone the brightest in your eyes.</p>
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  <p>“First to three?” he asked. </p>
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  <p>Your eyes glinted in confidence as you stretched out your arms. You smirked and quickly braided your hair so it could stay out of the way while shaking out your legs. Finally, with a determined smirk, you nodded. “You’re on, Kageyama-kun.” </p>
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  <p>You gave it your all against each other as each served then hit the ball to try and beat their opponent. You managed to gain the first point as Kageyama missed to hit the ball he dove for. He tried to not let it affect him and playfully rolled his eyes. You gave him the peace sign and he shook his head in amusement. </p>
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  <p>“I hope you’re not going easy on me.” You snickered.</p>
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  <p>He clicked his tongue and in the midst of your gloating, served the ball and aced it. Your jaw dropped and he smirked. “As if, shorty.” </p>
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  <p>“Shorty?! And you cheated!” you huffed before jogging to grab the ball. </p>
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  <p>“Remember to always stay alert on the court.” </p>
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  <p>You rolled your eyes and shook your head with an amused smile on your face, “You will certainly be the death of me, Kageyama Tobio.” </p>
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  <p>He simply shrugged and readied himself as he watched you close your eyes and walked up to the serving line. He doesn’t remember the last time he felt so relaxed yet challenged at the same time. It’s been so long since he was able to play against someone that lived and breathed the game just as much as he did. Of course, there was Hinata, but the kid still had so much to learn. With the girl in front of him who smiled with calculated eyes as he ran and tried to spike the ball to score, Kageyama couldn’t help but crack the smallest smile as she ran towards it. The ball had bounced back over to his side and as he ran to hit it, he couldn’t believe he was actually having fun for once. </p>
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  <p>You continued to play and eventually, Kageyama arose as the victor. Before he could stop himself, he pumped his fist with a bright smile on his face. A small ‘<em>yes</em>’ escaped his lips and you smiled to yourself as you watched him enjoy his little moment. Walking off to the side, you grabbed your water bottle and yawned. Kageyama approached you with a warm expression on his face after putting away the ball and said, “Good game, (L/N)-san.” </p>
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  <p>You huffed as you checked the time on the wall and said, “It’s only because my knee started to act up that I couldn’t get the last one.” </p>
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  <p>“Well we were tied for a while,” he muttered and looked down to see if her knee had swollen up. He lifted up the edge of his shirt to wipe away the sweat on his forehead and when you noticed, you immediately looked away and hoped he didn’t notice the light tinge of pink on your cheeks.</p>
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  <p>You passed your water bottle to him without saying anything and he wordlessly grabbed some water for himself while you busied yourself with your belongings. After straightening up from gathering the workout equipment, your eyes widened as you watched Kageyama drink some more water. </p>
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  <p><em>‘Does he know that we just had an indi-y’know what, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?’</em> Shaking your head rapidly, you put on your hood and quickly muttered that you were going to put away the stuff you brought out.</p>
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  <p>Kageyama gave you a confused look before picking up your phone for you and decided to wait for you by the entrance. You had returned with your hands in the pocket of your hoodie and you gave him a grateful smile for holding your things. </p>
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  <p>“Thanks, Kageyama-kun,” you muttered and grabbed it from him before you guys walked towards the building where the girls were sleeping in. </p>
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  <p>“I didn’t know you could play like that,” he said after walking for a bit. </p>
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  <p>You looked up at the sky as the moon shone brightly and he matched your pace. It felt so refreshing to be able to almost play as to how you did before. Your game with Kageyama surprised you since you didn’t even remember when was the last time you had a one on one with someone. Shrugging, you smiled and said, “I didn’t know I could either until my body moved on its own.” </p>
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  <p>“...I’m glad we got to play together.” </p>
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  <p>“You are a formidable opponent, Kageyama-kun. I hope to someday play against you and Shoyo-kun and receive that quick myself at my best potential.” </p>
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  <p>He had the smallest smirk on his face as he imagined that scenario. A two versus two match with the annoying tangerine against you and whoever you pick at your best? Now that was something he could look forward to. Kageyama wanted to see you in action because you were better than most players he’s come across. You also had the same look he has on the court while he reads the players and tries to figure out what’s next. During the small game, he felt like you were both playing a game of chess to see who could outsmart the other. It was also probably why he found himself becoming more comfortable around you. You were both very similar on the court when it came to decision making. You chuckled as you looked up to find Kageyama lost in his own thoughts. A new spark could be seen in his eyes as you slowly approached the entrance of your building.</p>
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  <p>Kageyama stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched as you made your way up the stairs and you turned around to smile at him. Tucking a few strands of your hair behind your ear, you bit your lip before bowing. </p>
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  <p>“Thanks for tonight, Kageyama-kun. It was fun getting to play with you.” </p>
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  <p>“...Tobio.” </p>
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  <p>You tilted your head to the side as Kageyama looked to the side, his hand rubbing his neck as he blushed. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Call me Tobio,” he said a little louder. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You couldn’t hide the wide smile that had managed to break out behind your hands as you tried to hide your burning cheeks. Kageyama met your warm gaze and relaxed as he looked into your eyes. He sighed and gave you a small smirk. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t want to lose that small tangerine.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You giggled and nodded as you gripped the bottom of her hoodie. Rocking on your heels, you smiled at him once more.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Alright then...goodnight Tobio. Sleep well.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He waited for you to open the door before saying, “...Goodnight (Y/N).” </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. - 8 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tensions are high between Hinata and Kageyama during their time in Tokyo. You can’t help but be on the sidelines and only step in when it’s necessary. Kuroo checks in with you and tries to help you relax during one of their breaks. Also, you show Kageyama that you’re going to be there for him whenever things get tough and he appreciates you for being by his side.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, lovelies! I hope you enjoy this update~ Anyways, how are you guys doing? Today’s been a little rough, so writing helped me escape reality for a bit, haha. As always, it will be cross-posted on Tumblr and I hope you guys have a great day today! Always appreciate any interactions with the story, but comments are highly loved because I'd love to hear how the story is so far! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You purse your lips as the following day of training camp went into full throttle. The boys were finally up against Nekoma and while taking down notes for the team, you began to notice the shift between Hinata and Lev. An unspoken conversation had gone down between the two players and the gut feeling you had the day before was finally coming into existence. Hinata’s goal to become one of the best players was growing stronger. He had always made it known that he wanted to be at the top. He’d show anyone just how serious he was to be able to be just as amazing as the Tiny Giant. As the game slowly progressed, you could see the new expression on his face as he continued to play. Biting your lip, you took note of this in your notebook to bring up to Shimizu and the adults once their game was over. <b><br/>
</b></p><p>You winced as everyone watched Hinata go for the ball that was clearly meant for Asahi to spike and held your breath as they collided. As everyone tried to calm down the situation with Ukai and Kageyama reprimanding him, there was an underlying tension in the air. You bit the back of your pen and glanced across the court to see that Nekoma’s coach had also realized what was happening to your team as he smirked to himself. He was a perceptive coach and the smile he showed proved that he had figured out what you were meaning to share when the next time out happened. </p><p>Everyone finally settled down and returned to their original positions. You looked at your boys and sighed in relief when it looked like things were going back to normal. They had concentrated looks and were slowly getting back into the rhythm of things. You hoped that there wouldn’t be anything else that would disrupt the match. Just as you were about to relax and go over your notes, you were proved wrong when the orange-haired player turned to say something to Kageyama that had Karasuno react in surprise. </p><p>“The quick that goes like whoosh…I’ll stop closing my eyes.” </p><p>You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself as Kageyama’s face deadpanned when everyone heard what Hinata had to say. Biting your lip, you squeezed the pen that you were previously twirling in hopes that things wouldn’t escalate more than it already had. </p><p>“I can’t stay like this,” he continued, “I can’t keep hitting quicks that are set just for me.” </p><p>“You can’t, and that’s why we learned normal quicks. I don’t know what’s going on with you right now, but if you have something to say, I’ll listen to it later. But if you’re gonna do that right now, I’m not going to set to a guy who I know will miss.” Kageyama retorted. </p><p>With the blow of the referee’s whistle, you let out the breath that you didn’t know you were holding. Setting your elbows on top of your knees, you focused on the game, silently thankful that nothing else had come out of that short conversation. Shimizu sighed beside you and you looked up at her. You two shared a look and while stretching your arms, the older girl sighed. Readjusting her glasses, Shimizu hugged her notebook closer to her as you continued to watch the boys play. </p><p>“That wasn’t just me who noticed the tension between the boys, right?” you murmured. </p><p>Shimizu agreed and voiced her own concerns, “Ever since the collision happened, the rest of the boys are all on edge.” </p><p>And before you knew it, the game was over. The other teams dispersed to their areas and the boys were doing their punishment once again. As you gathered the stray balls that littered the court, you couldn’t help but notice the looks on the boys’ faces as they dove across the floor. </p><p>The tension in the team was obvious as some gritted their teeth, others had their eyebrows scrunched up, and some glanced at Hinata to see that the boy was in his own world.</p><p>Taking in a deep breath, you knew that the boys were finally realizing what you had come to realize: Hinata’s greed kept growing and no one wanted to be left behind. You laughed when you noticed that Hinata had messed up on his dive and smiled to yourself. While rolling the cart of balls off to the side, you were glad to see that the boys were slowly realizing that this camp was the perfect time to grow. The teams from the city are hard opponents and it was finally time for Karasuno to level up. So, once the boys had gathered around to listen to what Takeda and Ukai had to say, you breathed a sigh of relief and mentally thanked the teacher for his poetic words. Out of the four of them, Takeda always had the right words to tell the team. </p><p>“You guys are the weakest team out of all the teams here.” </p><p>You sweatdropped as you took in their faces when he said that but smiled warmly as he continued. “If we were to have an official match with any of these teams, they would be a troublesome opponent. Are we going to view them as mere opponents or teachers that we can absorb techniques from?” </p><p>You found yourself mentally agreeing with everything that your teacher was saying and as he wrapped up his speech about having more room to grow, you were glad to see that the boys’ expressions changed to being refreshed and determined. There was this refreshed aura around them and you straightened up, knowing that you had a little less to worry about. And as the boys were let on a brief break before their next match, you bit her lip when you noticed that Kageyama, Hinata, and Sugawara went outside to talk. </p><p>“Oi~ chibi-chan!” Kuroo called.</p><p>You raised an eyebrow at him as he jogged up to you and you crossed your arms, shifting your weight onto one of your legs. </p><p>“What do you want this time, you freakishly tall giant?” </p><p>He leaned back and laughed. You playfully rolled your eyes as he pretended to wipe a tear away from his eyes. </p><p>“You do know, everyone is basically a giant to you here right?” </p><p>“Yeah and what about it? You’re the only one who’s annoying me right now.” You chuckled and playfully swatted his stomach. “Now what do you want Tetsu?” </p><p>He shrugged and said, “I just wanted to check up on you after noticing the change in the boys during the game. You looked stressed and worried. Your leg kept bouncing up and down while you did that scrunched up look on your face whenever you began to overthink.” </p><p>Your eyes glanced towards the entrance that the boys disappeared to and sighed. “I’m not sure what went down between Kageyama and Hinata, but hopefully they’ll be able to fix it. As for the team, the boys have been doing alright overall and I think Shoyo realized what they need to be doing at this camp. I just hope Kageyama will be able to hear him out.” </p><p>Twirling the volleyball you had taken out of the team bag, you purse your lips as different scenarios played in your mind. Kuroo sighed and lightly bonked the top of your head. If there was anything he learned about you through the years he’s known you, it’s when you would begin to overthink something. You glared at him and he snickered before resting an elbow on top of your head. He looked down at you as you tossed the ball back into the bag. You groaned as he playfully added more of his weight onto you. </p><p>“You don’t gotta stress, (Y/N)-chan. Knowing those two, they’re gonna hash it out as always and everything will be fine. You gotta believe in those two because you know that they’re going to always pull through in the end, alright?” </p><p>You looked at him with some doubt and he wrapped his arms around your shoulders. Leaning into his comforting embrace, you wrapped an arm around his waist. </p><p>“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” </p><p>“I know. And think about it this way, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate.”</p><p>You immediately looked up at him in disbelief. “Did you really just try to squeeze in a chemistry joke?” </p><p>He casually shrugged and said, “Yeah, and what about it? I’m trying to cheer you up. My jokes always work on you.” </p><p>You shook your head and laughed. “Only you, Tetsu. Only you.” </p><p>“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!” he exclaimed and stepped away to tower over you. </p><p>“Take it as you will, you big nerd.” you chuckled and didn’t back down, his glowering having no effect on you. </p><p>The coaches yelled faintly in the background that it was almost time to resume the practice matches. You watched as Kageyama finally returned and your eyebrows scrunched up as you took in his expression while Coach Ukai made his way outside to see what was going on.</p><p>“Look, if it makes you feel better, I’ll help you with your team since this is a training camp chibi-chan,” Kuroo said.</p><p>Your eyes widened in surprise and he laughed at your expression. </p><p>“You’re kidding.” </p><p> “Nope, I’m totally serious. The players have free time after the matches for their own practices. A couple of us were planning on helping each other with our strengths or just having mock games. Well, actually Bokuto and I just wanted to play against each other like old time’s sake” Kuroo laughed and ruffled your hair. “If any of your boys come by, I’ll help them out.” </p><p>You couldn’t help yourself as a bubble of excitement rippled through you and threw your arms around Kuroo. He laughed and lifted you up into a spin before setting you down. You continued the conversation and walked towards Nekoma with Kuroo to quickly exchange pleasantries before the break ended.</p><p>Over to the side, Kageyama clicked his tongue as he watched your exchange happen and clenched his water bottle tighter. </p><p>“Oh? Looks like someone’s trying to swoop in King.” Tsukishima snickered as he took note of what Kageyama was looking at. </p><p>“Shut up, you don’t know anything.” Kageyama rolled his eyes before walking away. </p><p>You managed to walk up to him before he reached the bench and he looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. Meeting his gaze, you tugged on his practice jersey when you noticed that he was tightly clenching his jaw. </p><p>“Hey Tobio, are you alright?” </p><p>Asahi, Daichi, and Nishinoya choked on their waters as their head snapped in your direction after hearing your voice. Kageyama could feel his ears burn as you looked at him in concern and Nishinoya screamed. <em>‘I don’t think I’ll ever get over her calling me by my name with her voice.’</em> He thought and you poked him in the stomach to get his attention.</p><p>“TOBIO?! YOU GUYS ARE ON FIRST NAME BASIS NOW?! SINCE WHEN?!”</p><p>Daichi and Asahi held him back and you glared at him to shut up before turning back to Kageyama. He sighed as his mind flashed back to Hinata’s words and tried to keep his annoyance at bay. That was a problem that could be addressed later when these matches were over. In the meantime, he’d just need to focus on whoever they faced next. Ruffling your hair, he set his bottle next to his things and began to make his way back to the court.</p><p>“There’s nothing you need to worry about, for now.” </p><p>With a sigh, you could only trust Kageyama’s words as the rest of the boys got ready for their match against Fukurodani. </p>
<hr/><p>The last day of the weekend training finally came to an end as everyone loitered in the parking lot as members packed away their belongings. You wiped away the sweat on your forehead as you tossed the last bag of volleyballs into the storage unit. The boys were all saying their goodbyes before getting onto the bus. Then seeing as Shimizu and Takeda-sensei were already in the vehicle, you took this as a chance to get a window seat on the way home. You also wanted some peace and quiet before the boys came onto the bus to start your nap and took your place on the bench that Kageyama and Hinata would usually sit in. </p><p><em>‘They wouldn’t mind if I stole their seat just this once, right?’</em> you thought and mentally shrugged. You plugged in your earphones to drone out the noise as the boys began to slowly file into the bus and closed your eyes in hopes that no one would bother you while trying to relax.</p><p>Just as you were about to nod off, a light tap was felt on your shoulder. You jumped in surprise when you saw Kageyama looking the other way. Your eyes went over to the single-seater row across from you and noticed Hinata had already taken a seat, looking out the window. With a silent understanding, you stood up and grabbed your bag from the empty seat next to you. He raised an eyebrow before taking your previous seat and you nonchalantly shrugged as Takeda-sensei started the bus. </p><p>“Window seats are better to help clear the mind.” You murmured before sitting down and took out the last of your homework. </p><p>He grunted at the sight of the assignments he still had to do once he got back home and you softly giggled at his response. After getting situated and the bus was finally on the highway back home, you nudged him. Kageyama looked down at the earbud you were offering and then back at you once again. You simply grabbed his palm and put the wireless bud in his hand before tapping the one you already had in your ear. </p><p>“It’ll help you keep your mind off things.” </p><p>Before he could say anything to you, the volume of the song playing was turned up and you started to work on your homework. He stared at you in surprise to find one of his favorite artists playing and sighed before relaxing in his seat. Resting his chin on the top of his palm, he looked out the window. Catching your reflection behind him, his eyes softened as he let his mind drift, thankful that you lent your support in a way he was comfortable with. </p>
<hr/><p>You let out a yawn as you sleepily made your way out of the girl’s changing room and shouldered your backpack to prevent it from slipping off of your shoulders. Tilting your head to the side, you noticed that the light in the gym was still on. With a shake of your head, you had a good feeling as to who was in there. You couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of your nose in hopes that your gut was wrong. Peeping your head through the door, you let out an exasperated sigh to find Hinata and Kageyama in the gym with a basket of volleyballs near them.</p><p>“Shouldn’t you guys be heading home?” you asked as you stepped into the gym and crossed your arms. </p><p>Hinata smiled sheepishly and said. “(Y/N)-chan, if you don’t mind, could you throw us some balls?” </p><p>Your eyes shifted over towards Kageyama and he shrugged before tossing one of the balls at you. Huffing to yourself as you caught the ball, you dropped your bag by the door before joining them onto the court. After tossing them the ball for a couple of moments, you groaned when you felt the tensions rise once more. Hinata was trying to keep his eyes open and you noticed that he wasn’t jumping at his highest point anymore. You knew that Kageyama noticed after several tries and you were debating if you should try to stop them. The frustration was growing evident on both of their faces and you bit your lip as Hinata asked for one more time. </p><p>“Instead of practicing an attack we’re not sure you’ll be able to do, you should be working on the attacks we’ve been using, as well as serving and blocking!” Kageyama snapped. </p><p>You held your breath as their conversation got more heated and before you knew it, the boys were at each other’s throats. While waiting for the right moment to step in, Kageyama grabbed a hold of Hinata’s shirt and he was thrown onto the floor in seconds. You began to worry because this looked a lot more serious compared to the previous fights they’ve had. So, taking a deep breath, you were about to yell at them to stop fighting, especially once Kageyama refused to set for him, but things seemed to happen too fast for you to keep up. You froze as Hinata jumped back to his feet and tried to tackle Kageyama to the floor. Knowing that the two were too blinded by their emotions for you to intercept, you ran towards the clubroom to get someone to stop them. </p><p>“Ryu-nii!” you exclaimed when you spotted him at the bottom of the staircase.</p><p>He jumped at your alarmed expression and tugged on his arm, pointing towards the gym.</p><p>“What’s the matter?” </p><p>You turned back to him with worried eyes and said, “Shoyo and Tobio are fighting!” </p><p>Without a moment to waste, Tanaka rushed towards the gym before yelling at the two to stop it. You winced when you witnessed the two of them get punched by their upperclassman. Knowing that it was the perfect chance to help diffuse the situation, you got a hold of Kageyama while Tanaka held Hinata back. </p><p>“You guys need to calm the fuck down, right now!” you exclaimed. </p><p>The boys paused when they heard you and Kageyama looked down when he finally realized that you were holding him back. He noticed the frustrating and disappointed look on your face and gulped. With more awareness of his surroundings, Kageyama felt your hands slightly trembling as you held him back and he immediately tried to relax his body. It was hard for him because Hinata seemed to not listen to anyone and there wasn't enough time for him to master the new quick. With a sigh, you let go of Kageyama and made your way towards your backpack to take out the first aid kit you always carried for emergencies.</p><p>“That’s <em>enough</em>. I know both of you have different opinions right now but we all just got back from camp. We’re all tired and you <em>idiots</em> might be getting way too heated because of the exhaustion. Take a moment for yourselves and really think about what each other have said, alright?” you hissed before approaching your friends. </p><p>Tanaka proudly smiled as he watched them obediently listen to you and ruffled your hair as he made his way out. He knew that there weren’t going to be any more scuffles with the way the boys looked in opposite directions as you bandaged their bruises and cuts. </p><p>“You got this from here, (Y/N)-chan?” Tanaka asked. </p><p>You hummed in response and waved him off while you concentrated on putting a bandage on Kageyama’s cheek. “You can go home Ryu-nii, thanks for breaking these two idiots apart.” </p><p>He laughed and waved goodbye. Pausing at the doorway he glared at the two before threatening, “You guys better make sure she gets home safe, or else Noya and I will make sure you’re going through hell the next time we see you.” </p><p>“Y-YES SIR!” they exclaimed and you rolled your eyes while walking to your bag to pack up your things. </p><p>Glaring at the two of them with your bag slung onto your shoulders, you went towards the basket of volleyballs to put it away. </p><p>“Go get your things, we’re going home.” </p>
<hr/><p>You and Kageyama walked in silence ever since Hinata darted off once you locked up the gym. The three of you usually went home together but knowing that they needed to cool down, you understood why Hinata decided to separate himself for now. You sighed to yourself after noticing that Kageyama never stopped frowning and his eyebrows furrowed deeply together. He was in deep thought, probably trying to analyze why things weren’t going right, and you just needed to find a small distraction to help him get out of his head. As you approached an intersection, you threw your hands behind your head. </p><p>“You know, you’re going to get wrinkles faster with the way you’re always frowning,” you said.</p><p>“Huh?!” he asked as he glared down at you and you looked at him from your peripherals, unphased by his reaction. </p><p>Without thinking, you reached up and pressed the spot between his eyebrows, causing his face to relax. He rolled his eyes at you before swatting away your hands and continued the way home. </p><p>“Whatever, you’re annoying.” </p><p>“I know you’re worried, but you have to realize that Shoyo is right to some degree,” you said. </p><p>He clicked his tongue but let you continue what you had to say. </p><p>“It’s true that your guys’ special quick attack is something that no one else can do, but your opponents are now being more attentive towards you guys,” you said as you came to a stop, waiting for the crosswalk to turn white. </p><p>“You’re also not wrong that there isn’t enough time and that you guys should be fine-tuning the weapons you already have, but I believe in you two.” you finished softly and tugged on the strap of his bag. </p><p>He turned to see what had caught your attention and it was a kid’s volleyball flyer. You shrugged and said, “Maybe going back to your roots could help you realize what he sees and needs you to do.” </p><p>Kageyama sighed as the light changed for you guys to walk and silently continued to walk in front of you. You stared at his back while lost in your own thoughts for a bit. Hinata and Kageyama were complete opposites, yet they complimented each other’s playstyles. You simply hoped that after this fight, they’d bounce back twice as strong. So for now, you were just going to do whatever you could to help them. Shaking any worries away, you matched his pace and stuffed your hands into the pockets of your team jacket. For the rest of the way back, the two of you were lost in their own thoughts. Once you reached your house, he squeezed your shoulder reassuringly and told you that he’ll text you once he gets home safely. With a defeated sigh, you prayed that things will slowly get better for the two boys. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. - 9 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You finally figure out what’s been missing for the crazy duo’s quick and it’s all thanks to Ukai dragging you along to meet his grandfather. The rest of the boys are also doing their best to improve with the new practice regimen that you put together and you mainly helped Kageyama with his sets for further accuracy. Practice isn’t the only time you’re with Kageyama, but you’ve also become his personal tutor when it comes to schoolwork. As time passed, you managed to grow closer to the socially awkward setter and the two of you begin to realize that it could be something more.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, lovelies! Finally had the chance to update here after a busy work week so I hope you guys like it! As always, it's cross-posted on my Tumblr page and I appreciate all of you readers out there! Thank you so much for interacting with this story whether if it's a kudos or bookmarked! Comments are highly appreciated hehe take care of yourselves, everyone! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was one of the rare days that the boys didn’t have any practice. After coming home from Tokyo, it was decided that the team would have an off day to do whatever they needed to, whether it was rest or get in some mild training. It was the middle of the day and out of boredom, you made your way towards Ukai’s store while humming a random song that was stuck in your head. As you neared the shop, you mentally prayed that there was a fresh batch of pork buns waiting for you. While you were there to pick some things up from home after your mom sent you on the errand, the baked treat was what led you all the way to Sakanoshita instead of the convenience store a couple of doors down from your apartment. <b><br/></b></p><p>“Oh? Shoyo?” You asked as you bumped into him when he turned onto the corner where the store was while you were walking straight.</p><p>“Eh? (Y/N)? What are you doing here?” he asked in surprise. </p><p>You smiled and pointed towards the shop with your thumb. “I was planning on getting some stuff from the shop, what about you?” </p><p>He smiled and both of them fell into step with each other while walking towards Sakanoshita. “I need to ask him if he knows any other ways for me to practice. I think you were right when you said that Kageyama and I needed space from each other for now.” </p><p>You hummed in agreement before entering the store first and Shoyo made his way towards Ukai. Deciding not to listen in on their conversation, you grabbed a basket and roamed through the aisles for what you needed. With your phone in one hand, you put some home necessities into your basket and then checked it off of your shopping list with a quick tap on your phone. Then, when you reached the snack aisle, you happily grinned because that was your favorite aisle to be in whenever it came to grocery shopping. You took a step back and scanned its contents to see what you would grab for the week and immediately grabbed a couple of bags of chips, different flavors of pocky, and a couple of boxes of cookies and chocolates. Then when you were about to grab a drink from the cooler in the back, you heard Coach Ukai call out to you. </p><p>“Oi, (L/n)-san, can you come here for a moment?” </p><p><em>‘I wonder what this is going to be about…’</em> you thought to yourself and made your way towards the front. The coach couldn’t help but laugh at your filled basket. He always saw you snacking throughout practice and had extra snacks in case some of the boys didn’t have any, so Ukai wasn’t surprised to see just how much you grabbed. You stuck out your tongue at him as he motioned for you to put the basket on the counter so he could ring you up. Meanwhile, Hinata gaped at the number of snacks you grabbed and you casually lifted up his jaw. </p><p>“It’s impolite to stare like that, Shoyo,” you snickered. “Anyways, what did you want?” </p><p>Ukai laughed as you pointed at the pork buns and signaled for two. Leaning behind the counter to grab a paper bag for them, he let you know what he had planned. </p><p>“I need your help today if you’re free.”</p><p>Raising your eyebrow at this, you leaned against the counter and crossed your arms. </p><p>“And what do I get out of this? I was planning on enjoying my day off at home.” you skeptically asked and watched him put the pork buns into its bag.</p><p>“I’ll give you any type of buns you want for the following week, on the house. Just trust me on this, alright? Text your mom you’re going to be late for a last-minute practice. I need your help and input on something. I’ll give you a ride home if that helps.” </p><p>You immediately changed your attitude at the mention of free buns for the rest of the week and smiled even wider when Ukai added the extra perks. With a bright smile on your face, you slung your arms around Hinata’s shoulders </p><p>“So what did you need me for?” </p><p>And about thirty minutes later, you found yourself meeting the infamous Coach Ukai that brought Karasuno to nationals and setting for his practice as Hinata got one-on-one training from him. You were familiar with the different tempos that Older Ukai shared and watched as he explained it to Hinata. While you helped practice with the kids, you mentally slapped your forehead realizing that the practice of tempos was what was missing for Hinata and Kageyama. The fact that Hinata had always been going his fastest and not adjusting his timing could be the reason as to all of their recent struggles. On a water break, you immediately typed a small reminder to text Kageyama about it once you got home. This could be the break that the boys needed to get back to normal. And as everyone continued to practice, Older Ukai realized that Hinata’s been going at a minus tempo. <em>‘So this is why everyone really looks up to him, hell even I would love to train under him once I’m recovered.’</em> you thought to yourself at one point as you watched Hinata spike the ball.  You shook your head in disbelief at how quick Hinata was able to understand and apply to the best that he could on whatever Older Ukai was telling him. You leaned against the pole as you watched Hinata successfully block the kids and smiled to yourself after realizing that Hinata Shoyo really was a monster. <em>‘It makes me really curious how this kid would be when he goes pro.’ </em></p><hr/><p>The sun was setting and you were given the green light to take a break after practicing nonstop for two hours or so. You took a sip out of the water bottle you brought in your bag and jumped when your ringtone went off. Older Ukai glared at the interruption and you bowed in apology before walking off to answer. </p><p>
  <em>“Oi shorty, what are you doing right now?” </em>
</p><p>“I’m busy, why what do you need Tobio?” you asked and sat on the raised platform of the house while watching the kids and Hinata play against each other.</p><p>
  <em>“…I need your help with something.” </em>
</p><p>“What? The Kageyama Tobio needing help? Well, this is new.” you joked and laughed to yourself when you heard him groan in annoyance.</p><p><em>“You know what, nevermind. This was a stupid idea anyway…”</em> he grumbled.</p><p>“Tobio, I’m kidding. You know I’ll always be down to help. What’s up?” </p><p>
  <em>“I need to practice my setting…can you meet me at the school?” </em>
</p><p>You held your phone out to see what time it was and shrugged. Since Coach Ukai had basically cleared your schedule for the day, you didn’t see why not. Putting back the phone to your ear, you nodded. </p><p>“Yeah, I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.” </p><p><em>“See you then.</em>” </p><p>You shook your head at Kageyama’s behavior and was about to look for Coach Ukai when he bumped into you after coming out from inside the house. You groaned and Coach Ukai looked down in surprise.</p><p><em>‘I really need to stop bumping into people…’</em> you thought as you grounded herself from falling. </p><p>“Oh, (L/N)-san, did you need to leave? I was just going to go get someone.” </p><p>“I was just asking you to drop me off at the school if that’s fine.” </p><p>“The school? What did you need from there?” </p><p>“Kageyama asked me to help him practice and since Older Ukai has Shoyo situated, I thought it was alright since I got nothing better to do,” you replied and began to gather your things.</p><p>Coach Ukai smiled widely and ruffled your hair. “You just made my day a lot easier, kid. C’mon, I’ll take you there because I was just about to look for him myself. I’ll explain it to you in the car.” </p><p>With a nod towards Hinata and Older Ukai, you signaled that you were leaving. Hinata waved and you looked up at Coach Ukai in thought, trying to figure out what he was going to do with Kageyama. There was a good feeling that you two might have come to the same conclusion so while in the car, you both went over the new game plan in hopes that it will level up Kageyama and Hinata for their next camp and official game.</p><hr/><p>With practice back in session, it was agreed by Coach Ukai upon your recommendation that the schedule is split in half. After he spoke to Kageyama that day he took you to meet Older Ukai, you found yourself staying an extra two hours at Sakanoshita going over the current stats of each team member. You got down to the finer details and helped the coach put together specific regimens that the boys were going to follow until they mastered the new techniques being brought onto the court. When going over it with Ukai, you both hoped that this will overall help the team get used to its new players and also be able to bring out new and all of their strengths.</p><p>The first half would be group practices held in practice games or drills while the second half would be solo practices on whatever the players needed to work on. You grinned to yourself as you made your way out of the girl’s gym after preparing it for the boys. You waved as Daichi, Suga, Tanaka, and a couple of second years followed Coach Ukai in. He had a tablet in hand in hopes of having them try to execute some synchronized attacks, similar to how Shinzen High did at training. And on your way back to the gym the boys mainly practiced at, you passed by Nishinoya and Asahi who were talking and making their way into the gym that you had just left. They waved at you and Nishinoya reminded you that he was going to take you home that night since your families were having dinner together. </p><p>And just as you stepped into the gym to meet up with Kageyama, you watched him warm up by doing some serves. You smirked to yourself and waited for him to serve the ball before running across to receive it. He watched as the ball effortlessly flew to the other side and he stomped his foot. Shaking his fist at you, Kageyama began to reprimand you and you couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction.</p><p>“Don’t you have to watch out for your knee?! You shouldn’t be doing anything that reckless, you idiot!” he yelled.<em> ‘But that speed…it’s just like Nishinoya’s…She’s getting better.’</em> He thought as he watched your next move. </p><p>Waving his scolding to the side, you dropped your bag by the net and took out an empty bottle.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah whatever you say, bakayama~” you sang before sticking out your tongue at him. </p><p>He simply rolled his eyes at you and met you by the net. You smiled cheekily before patting the basket of volleyballs that he had already brought out for you to use.</p><p>“Are you ready, sir?” you asked and picked up one of the balls before twirling it in your hands. </p><p>“…Let’s just get this over with,” he mumbled and got into position. </p><p>Kageyama watched as you set up another empty water bottle on the court and nodded in satisfaction. You then grabbed the hair tie that you always wore on your wrist and his eyes widened. Instead of her typical braid, you put it up in a bun with several strands framing your face. </p><p><em>‘…cute.’</em> He thought as he unknowingly continued to stare at you. </p><p>You blinked when you felt Kageyama’s unwavering stare on you and looked around to see if he was concentrating on anything else. </p><p>“Tobio…?” </p><p>Kageyama snapped out of his daze and realized he had been staring longer than he should have. He coughed and you questioningly stared at him to see if you could figure out what he was thinking.</p><p>“Whenever you’re ready.” he murmured and turned his attention towards readjusting his shirt. </p><p>You laughed at his weird reaction and smiled at him. “You got it!” </p><hr/><p>Throughout the week, you were pleased to see that the results of everyone’s individual practices were improving overall. Even if there were some kinks during their practice games against each other, you were glad to see all of the boys working harder than ever before. As a reward for their efforts, you and Shimizu ended up making them onigiri to prevent them from burning out. Despite that, what surprised you the most was the fact that the boys were doing better in school. Tanaka and Nishinoya continued to get tutored by Ennoshita once a week after their last results came out. Hinata had one of your classmates, Yachi, helping him because he felt bad constantly asking you for help every week on top of being their manager. He even mentioned that Yachi might be interested in becoming another manager for them so you wouldn’t be alone after the third years left. And lastly, Kageyama reached out to you earlier that week to meet up and review for finals since the Tokyo away games were approaching. </p><p>That was also how Kageyama ended up at your apartment once more while your mom was away for business. You were seated upright with your legs tucked underneath you while you scribbled down some corrections on Kageyama’s practice quiz. He was laying down on the ground next to you as he tossed the volleyball from your room up in the air and caught it. The boy needed something to distract himself while he waited to hear his results after studying all day. He had met up at your place mid-morning and spent most of the day going over the material he was struggling with. </p><p>It didn’t help that you were casually dressed in a pair of comfortable shorts and your dad’s old volleyball shirts. Your hair was up in that damned bun again that always made him blush and more often than he’d like to admit, Kageyama found himself admiring your features. He was glad that you were so focused on making sure his answers were correct or working on your own homework, that you hadn’t noticed that there were times where he’d pause doing his work just to stare at you. It was the way that you bit your lip when you were stuck on something that made his heart flutter. It was the way several strands of hair covered your face whenever you looked down at the papers scattered on the table that made him want to tuck them behind your ear. Kageyama finally understood what was happening after Suga explained what a crush was to him when the older setter noticed that he’d always look for you at the beginning of every practice. And after spending an entire day with just you, it made him wish that you were wearing one of his jerseys instead of your dad's. If anything, he just wanted to spend more time with you. Kageyama sighed and looked up to see you still writing on the stack of papers in front of you.</p><p>“Oi, are you done yet?” he asked, growing bored of tossing the ball and setting it down beside him. </p><p>You playfully rolled your eyes and tallied his score. You motioned for him to get up and he sat up in anticipation. Closing the cap of the red pen you used, you stuffed it in your bun and handed him the paper. You waited to see his response and felt proud as a wide smile came upon his face. </p><p>“Yes!” he said as his eyes landed on the ‘78’ on his paper and pumped his fist. </p><p>Looking up back to you Kageyamahappily grinned and said, “Thanks, (Y/N)! You really are a lifesaver.” </p><p>You felt yourself stop functioning when you saw that his genuine and accomplished smile was directed at you. With your cheeks warming, you smiled back at him and nodded. </p><p>“Y-You’re welcome, Tobio.”</p><p>A comfortable silence fell over the two as you stared at each other. You noticed the warmth that sat in Kageyama’s navy blue eyes and looked down, smiling to yourself. Meanwhile, Kageyama couldn’t help but feel thankful for all that you’ve done for him. His expression softened when she met his gaze and a silent conversation began between the two of you. He knew he could be intense most of the time and the fact that you were able to easily go with it made him feel comfortable. Maybe that’s why he was able to get along with you so easily and why he always took your thoughts into consideration. Without both of you realizing it, you had grown a lot closer to each other over the span of a couple of months ever since you joined as manager. </p><p>After the initial reaction to passing your practice quiz calmed down, Kageyama tiredly leaned his back against your coach. </p><p>“Thank kami-sama that torture is over. I don’t think I could take another one after that.”  </p><p>You laughed while stretching your arms over your head. </p><p>“Well, you have an amazing tutor that’s why.” </p><p>He shrugged and stared at the ceiling, trying to relax his mind from all the material he memorized. “You’re not wrong. I’d think she’s the best.”</p><p>“Now you’re just trying to kiss my ass, Tobio.” you snickered and glanced at the clock. You gasped at the time and didn’t realize just how long you have been studying. “It’s that late already?” </p><p>Kageyama followed your gaze and saw that it was a little past seven. Then as if on cue, his stomach growled. You raised an eyebrow with a teasing smile threatening to come out and  he covered his stomach in embarrassment. </p><p>“We only ate snacks today, leave me alone, you shorty.” he snorted. </p><p>You held your hands up in surrender and said, “My bad, I didn’t realize how long we were going at it. Dinner’s on me then.” </p><p>Getting up and stretching your limbs from sitting on the floor all day, you made your way over to the kitchen and groaned. Your mom had forgotten to do grocery shopping before she left and all that was left in the refrigerator was a case of natto, a tomato, and water bottles. You smiled sheepishly and motioned towards the door. </p><p>“Did you want to get some food elsewhere?” </p><p>Kageyama sighed before pushing himself up and shrugged. “I don’t really have a say if you’re the one that’s getting dinner for us.” </p><p>You gave him another sheepish smile before you slipped on your shoes together and walked into your neighborhood. You made your way towards the corner store where you each got your favorite things: a yakisoba pan and strawberry milk for yourself while Kageyama grabbed a pork curry bowl and plain milk. Settling down at one of the tables outside of the store, you clapped your hands together before saying thanks for the food. It was silent for a bit when you dug into your food. It was a well-deserved meal after studying all day and relished in the yumminess that was filling your stomach. You laughed as Kageyama hungrily downed his food and found it adorable how his cheeks puffed up with food. His eyes snapped up when he realized you were staring at him with an amused smile on your face. And just as always, he ended up choking on his food. He mentally yelled at himself when you threw your head back, laughing at his typical behavior. Kageyama felt his cheeks flush and he looked towards the main street, the streetlamps, and corner store illuminating the world around you. The melody of your laugh made him feel warm and he downed his carton of milk in hopes it would help him cool down.</p><p>“Tobio, you looked like a blueberry.” you giggled and took one more look at him before some more.  </p><p>“A blueberry, where the fuck did that come from?!” he hissed and watched you enjoy yourself. </p><p>“You just do! I mean with your cheeks puffed out and everything else, it just makes sense!.” </p><p>Shaking his head at you, he gave up on getting you to calm down. Trying to move the conversation to something else, he spoke up once more.</p><p>“Are you done?” he grunted and nodded towards the empty container and carton in front of you. </p><p>You nodded after finally calming down and he silently gathered your trash. You watched as he walked towards the nearest trash can, admiring the way he dressed on his day off. It was similar to what he wore when they bumped into each other at camp that one night, but this time, he wore black joggers, the team’s white crew neck, and a black shirt layered underneath with his grey trainers. His style was simple just like he was overall. </p><p><em>‘If all he wears is athletic wear, I wouldn’t mind it. He looks good.’</em> you mused to yourself as he sat back down across from her, leaning against his chair. </p><p>“So what’s the next move?” Kageyama asked as he stared at you.</p><p>You stretched your arms before shrugging. “I don’t really feel like going home yet, do you mind if we just walk around the area for a bit?” </p><p>He shook his head and got up the same time you did. Kageyama matched your pace as he stuffed his hands in his pocket and decided to start a conversation with you. </p><p>“So…what got you into volleyball?” He asked.</p><p>You smiled and threw your hands behind your neck, looking at him from your peripheral view. </p><p>“Tobio’s the first one to initiate the conversation this time? I’m impressed.” You smirked and laughed when he glared at you. “I’m kidding. And to answer your question, it was my dad.” </p><p>He looked down to see that your expression softened as you recounted your childhood and moved to hold your hands behind your back. “I used to be a real huge bookworm and my dad was a really sporty guy. After my parents split up and it was agreed that I would live with him during the summer, he signed me up for Youth Camp. He always said it was to help me grow stronger and outgoing and at some point, I could see his point growing up. But really, I knew he wanted me to follow in his footsteps.” </p><p>Kageyama hummed as he tried to imagine a younger version of you trying to serve a volleyball for the first time and he smiled to himself.</p><p>“I wonder how you played back then?” he asked more to himself than to you. You took that as a sign to continue and you stared at the road in front of you. A breeze went by and you unconsciously wrapped your arms around yourself to warm up before continuing. </p><p>“I was terrible and I used to be scared of the ball.” You chuckled. “But I realized that I loved the sensation of correctly hitting the ball or doing a serve and it lands as an ace. Before I knew it, I kept asking my dad to practice with me and he was my setter before I grew big enough to join my school’s team. Then from there, it was history. Thankfully, my parents could agree with one thing and that was to support my dream for volleyball.” </p><p>He glanced down when you finished your story and stopped at an intersection. Seeing that you had begun to hug yourself and the night slowly grew colder, Kageyama wordlessly took off his crew neck and handed it to you. Your eyes widened and slowly looked up, giving him a questioning look. He sighed before nudging it towards you, looking in the other direction in hopes that you wouldn’t notice his pink cheeks in the low lit area. </p><p>“…you idiot. You knew we were going outside for a while and didn’t even bother bringing a jacket with you. Just wear it so you don’t get cold and miss out on training camp.” he mumbled.</p><p>Your cheeks burned and bowed your head in thanks. After slipping on his jacket and the crosswalk’s light turned green, you smiled to yourself. The crew neck had the faint scent of his cologne and it immediately made you feel warm inside. Kageyama trailed behind you and was glad that no one could see the way his eyes softened at the sight of you in his clothes and a small that rarely anyone saw.</p><p>You ended up taking a small detour at the small park in your neighborhood. You smiled and ran towards the swings before sitting down in one of them. Kageyama looked after you while he took his time and you began to lightly move your legs so the swing could move with you. He would never admit it out loud, but he was so happy to see you wearing his sweater. Seeing you like that made him wish he could take out his phone and take a picture of you in order to capture this moment forever. But he wasn’t on that level with you; he didn’t even know if you felt the same way he did. It was too early to tell and Kageyama didn’t want to ruin one of the best friendships he’s ever had. Meanwhile, you tried to calm your rapidly beating heart with the swing and he leaned against its pole, letting you do whatever you wanted. </p><p>“What about you, Tobio? What do you enjoy most about volleyball?” you asked as she looked up at him, holding onto the rope that held the swing up. </p><p>He looked up at the sky and smiled to himself. “I just love the way the ball feels in my hands. Of course, winning is the best feeling ever, but there’s just something about being the control center for the team that I enjoy. Being able to support everyone and also read through our opponents is so fun on the court.” </p><p>“Even if you only touch the ball for a couple of seconds, it’s still an amazing feeling, am I right?” you added and joined him in looking at the stars that twinkled above you. </p><p>“Yeah but also the adrenaline that comes with playing is such a thrilling part of it.” </p><p>“And diving to save a ball.” you continued. </p><p>“Nah, I think serving an ace is one of the best feelings ever.” He smirked. </p><p>“What about surprising your opponents with your freak attack?” </p><p>He couldn’t help but laugh to himself as he remembered every single face he’s seen react to his attack with Hinata. You did have a point since he had a high sense of satisfaction seeing someone get surprised by their combo. You grinned while hearing Kageyama’s laugh for the first time. It was slightly husky since it wasn’t a full blown laugh, but it still made your stomach flutter. Kageyama calmed down and a notification popped up on his phone, breaking your soft moment together. One of the boys asked if he was going to hop on their group call that night to go over strategies. <em>‘Damn it, I totally forgot about that…’</em> He almost forgot that he had also promised to send the boys videos of previous matches he recorded for anything that they could use. With a frown, he was torn for a bit because he was actually having a great time with you. But, you were quick to catch on that his time to leave was approaching and jumped up from the swing. Already making your way towards the entrance of the park, you played with the sleeves of his sweatshirt while he quickly sent a reply before stuffing his phone back in his pocket. He gave you an apologetic look and jogged up to you. </p><p>“Let’s go back?” you smiled and he nodded before you led the way back to your apartment in comfortable silence. </p><p>Once you arrived, Kageyama gathered his things and you walked him to her door. You leaned against the wall as he slipped on his shoes and shouldered his bag. He sighed to himself wishing that he could stay longer. It was the first time in a while he got to really enjoy having an easy conversation with someone and it felt nice. With a sigh, Kageyama watched as you slipped past him to open the door for him and he nodded in thanks. </p><p>“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said before bowing and nodding at you. </p><p>He had already walked down the main hallway when you looked down, noticing you almost forgot to give him back his sweater. </p><p>“Tobio, what about your-” </p><p>He waved you off without looking back and you sighed. “Are you sure?” </p><p>Kageyama paused by the staircase and gave you a small smirk. “I’m sure, later (Y/N).”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. - 10 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The team has a field day when they see you come in to practice late. Their teasing is relentless and it sticks with you throughout the whole day. You can’t help but think about the situation you’re in with Tobio and an old friend helps you find clarity. Then when Tokyo Camp is finally in session, you end up over pushing yourself and Shimizu tells you to rest for the first half of the day. While you’re resting the boys find out what happened to you and they need to figure out who’s going to check up on you before their practice matches begin.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It’s been a rough start of the week at work but writing this chapter helped me escape for a bit and live in the world of Kags and Y/N LMAO I hope you lovelies are having a wonderful Monday and as always, it will be cross-posted on Tumblr!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em><strong>‘</strong>O</em>
  <em>nly you, Y/N, only you. This type of scenario would only happen to you. Let’s hope Daichi doesn’t scold you for being late to practice.’ </em>
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  <p>The mental image of Daichi’s angry face made you shiver and hugged your bags closer to your chest. You mentally cursed as you ran as fast as you could towards the gym. It was the final day of exams and also the last practice for Karasuno before heading to Tokyo for a week. Luckily for you, since you were in a college prep class, you were able to finish your last exam pretty early and had some time to kill. In order to catch up on some rest after pulling an all-nighter to help the boys over the computer, you ended up taking a nap on the roof. It wasn’t until Nishinoya called you and asked where you were. As your grogginess subsided, it slowly dawned upon you that you forgot to set an alarm to give you time to change and be at the gym. </p>
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  <p>Bursting through the doors, you quickly apologized as you held onto the frame with your body hunched over. While trying to catch your breath from running across campus, you looked up to see the boys in the middle of stretches. You repeatedly muttered ‘<em>sorry</em>’ while bowing to everyone around you. The boys’ eyes widened when they took in your appearance while you set down your things and began to braid your hair. With your attention to Shimizu, she went over what was needed to pack for the upcoming camp. </p>
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  <p>“Is that…?” Daichi asked and Sugawara nodded as Asahi looked from you to a certain first year. </p>
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  <p>“Wait no freaking way! HAHAHA YU, I CALLED IT. NOW COUGH UP THE MONEY YOU OWE ME” Tanaka snickered and began to elbow Nishinoya. </p>
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  <p>The latter could only smirk at his best friend's carelessness and promise to hand over the money when the practice was over. He slung his arm over Tanaka’s shoulders and began to fake sob at the fact that you were growing up. Ennoshita could only smile to himself before walking up to the two gossiping and smacked their heads to mind their business and to focus back on stretching.</p>
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  <p>Yamaguchi’s jaw dropped and Tsukishima smirked to himself and turned around to see how the other person was doing. Hinata smiled widely as he repeatedly nudged Kageyama who seemed to stop working. The blonde snickered and muttered, “I can’t believe (L/N)-san actually sees something in you, King. What did you do, hypnotize her or something?” </p>
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  <p>That managed to snap Kageyama out of his trance as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “Do you want to go, Tsukishima?!” </p>
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  <p>You and Shimizu turned around after hearing him yell and you finally took in everyone’s reaction. With an awkward smile, you played with the sleeves of the sweater you were wearing. The third years were smirking, the second years were comforting Nishinoya, and Yamaguchi and Hinata were holding back Tsukishima and Kageyama from tearing each other’s throats out. </p>
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  <p>“U-Um...why are you guys looking at me like that?” </p>
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  <p>Tanaka and Nishinoya immediately ran up to you, each slinging an arm over your shoulder. They smiled cheekily at you and Nishinoya pointed at the small embroidery underneath the ‘<em>ICS</em>’ logo that said ‘<em>Kageyama Tobio</em>’. Your cheeks immediately began to burn and Tanaka snickered as he poked your cheeks. </p>
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  <p>“Where’d you get your sweater, huh (Y/N)-chan?” he asked. </p>
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  <p>“Yeah, (Y/N)-chan. Only members of the team could wear that sweater. And it seems to belong to a certain setter.” Nishinoya teased as he pinched your cheeks. </p>
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  <p>You side-eyed your best friend and mentally shrugged at how quickly his personality changed. Taking in a deep breath, you closed your eyes before doing what Sugawara taught you if those two boys were invading your personal space. Holding out your arms straight in front of you, you slipped behind them and went into a lunging position before jabbing the both of them in the stomach. The rest of the team laughed and Sugawara smiled proudly giving her a round of applause for effortlessly executing one of his signature moves. </p>
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  <p>“That’s our daughter for ya,” Daichi smirked and high-fived Sugawara. His expression changed as he eyed Kageyama with a blank face and nodded towards you. </p>
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  <p>“Kageyama, does that mean the two of you are dating now?” </p>
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  <p>“D-DATING?! NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT!” “DAICHI SHUT THE FUCK UP!” You and Kageyama exclaimed. </p>
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  <p>Waving your hands frantically, you immediately tried to explain what happened. “Look, he came over to study, we had dinner outside and I got cold. He gave me his jacket and walked me home, that’s it.” </p>
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  <p>You huffed and crossed your arms in hopes that would appease everyone. But their grins got even wider and you could only sigh in defeat as you watched Tanaka and Nishinoya jump onto Kageyama when he stopped working once more. The third years couldn’t help but give you an amused smile and you looked over towards Hinata for help. He cheekily smiled and pointed his thumb towards Kageyama who was finally functioning again, currently trying to get Tanaka and Nishinoya off of him. </p>
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  <p>“So what you’re saying is that you guys went on a date, he gave you his jacket, and still hasn’t asked you out yet?” Hinata teased.</p>
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  <p>You realized that leaving out all the background information made it seem like it was a date and you facepalmed yourself. <em>‘This team will ultimately lead me to my death. But if they don’t stop with their teasing…’</em> Shimizu noticed the irritated look on your face as the boys’ banter echoed through the gym and patted your shoulder in emotional support. With a groan, you rolled your eyes at them and flipped your finger at them. This made most of the boys holler in laughter as Yamaguchi and Tsukishima calmly watch the chaos from the sidelines. </p>
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  <p>“Whatever, think what you guys want at this point. I can’t stop it anymore.” you shrugged before grabbing their empty water bottles to refill them and made your way towards the entrance. You grabbed your duffel bag in order to change and hoped that the whole situation would die down by the time you got back.</p>
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  <p>When you were finally out of earshot, Kageyama suddenly found himself the center of attention and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Tanaka and Nishinoya were asking him nonstop questions and he could feel the teasing gazes of the rest of the team behind them. </p>
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  <p>“...What do you guys want?” </p>
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  <p>“So…(Y/N)-chan, huh?” Asahi said as they crowded around him. </p>
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  <p>“I don’t know what you mean,” he mumbled and tried to get out of the huddle.</p>
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  <p>“Is that why you came on late last night?” Yamaguchi asked as he connected the dots. </p>
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  <p>“KAGEYAMA I NEVER TOOK YOU AS THE SMOOTH TYPE. YOU DIDN’T EVEN ASK ME IF IT WAS OKAY. WHAT KIND OF BRAT-” Nishinoya exclaimed and Tanaka had to hold him back while covering his mouth from riling himself up even more.</p>
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  <p>“Oh, you so like her, dude,” Daichi added, he couldn’t help himself from seeing the usually composed setter slowly getting flustered. </p>
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  <p>“Captain?!” Kageyama exclaimed. </p>
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  <p>The older one laughed and patted his shoulder, “It’s alright Kageyama, don’t mind. Dating a manager usually ends up happening for teams here and there. It’s okay if you want to. I don’t think anyone here has a problem with it.” </p>
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  <p>“Why are you guys encouraging this?” Kageyama sighed as he tried to calm himself down. </p>
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  <p>“It’s pretty obvious, to most of us.” Sugawara shrugged. </p>
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  <p>“Yeah, the only ones that haven’t are you and (Y/N)-chan,” Ennoshita added. </p>
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  <p>“Plus it’s adorable seeing you act like this.” Asahi chimed in with a bright smile. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“However,” Kageyama gulped as he noticed the tone in Sugawara’s voice change. Crossing their arms, the third years cornered him and stared him down. “You hurt her,” Daichi continued. “You die, kid, you got that?” Asahi threatened. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Y-Yes, sir,” Kageyama replied and the boys couldn’t help but burst out laughing once more. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He didn’t even deny that he liked her. Don’t let her become your weakness on the court.” Tsukishima wheezed. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kageyama glared at them for teasing him once more and was about to say something but was interrupted when Takeda-sensei walked in. He groaned as he felt a headache coming from all the chaos that just happened as the teacher called all of them over. While the team walked up to Takeda-sensei, Nishinoya was the one that matched his pace and leaned over to tell him one last thing. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“On a serious note, I really do think you have a chance with her if you’re serious about it.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His eyes widened, not expecting such quick approval from his upperclassman and as your best friend. The older one patted his back in reassurance before they all listened to the breakdown of how the Tokyo away games were going to be like. Kageyama pursed his lips and began to think about the possibility of having his attention centered around something that wasn’t volleyball. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <hr/>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The cool air felt comforting as you walked out onto your balcony. It was your daily ritual to look at the stars after taking a shower because it always comforted you whenever you saw the twinkling lights above you. Feeling refreshed, your mind couldn’t help but wander back towards the beginning of practice. With a cold bottle of juice in hand, you took a sip and leaned against the railings while your mind flashed back to earlier that day. The boys’ teasing left you flustered but also intrigued to try and figure out if Kageyama had felt the same way. It was a possibility considering how close you had grown to the setter. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Other than studying together, you spent most of your breaks with him and Hinata while lunch was specifically for Nishinoya or your other friends. Sometimes if you ranted about how stressed you were about big papers or any exams coming up, Kageyama would always somehow manage to sneak a carton of strawberry milk into your bag. You guys would also Skype to go over plays from previous practices and you’d give him critiques before the conversation strays to other aspects of the sport. At this point in time, you could probably tell anyone that Kageyama had become one of your best friends along with Hinata since they always came in a pair. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>‘Ugh, am I getting ahead of myself? He doesn’t see me that way, right?’ </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your nose crinkled at the thought of being rejected. It was also another probability you took into consideration because you knew how much volleyball meant to him. The sport was his world just as much as it was yours before your accident. You knew how much he wanted to make it big because you had the same dream as him. He was just a couple of steps ahead of you and you looked down at your knee that had a brace wrapped around it. His previous nagging popped in your head and you laughed to yourself. Kageyama noticed how your jump float serves slowly started to become inconsistent over time when you led the drill. Your body language was obvious to him and Nishinoya wasn’t able to catch on to it because he was helping Hinata on his receives on Ukai’s side. When they were given a break, Kageyama didn’t hesitate to give you an earful in front of the team and Nishinoya gave you the spare knee brace he had in his bag that he carried just for you. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>‘We’re just close friends, right now he has priorities straight. I should just be in his corner and not mess up what we have right now.’ </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The sound of your cellphone took you out of your thoughts and you went back into your room. With a familiar name on the screen, you excitedly answered as you returned to your previous spot on the balcony. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Rui!” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tsukiyomi Rui was one of your best friends in middle school and also your captain. It had been a while since you guys caught up, especially after you had cut her off ever since high school started. Although you recently fixed things, a small part of you wondered what would it have been like to attend Niyama with her and your libero, Makoto Homura. The three of you were like the three musketeers at your previous school and even though they understood why you needed a new environment, they were hurt that you had even shut them out. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>“(Y/N), you sent an SOS?”</em> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You could already imagine Rui raising an eyebrow at you with her arms crossed. She was the type of person to get straight to the point and you sheepishly laughed. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“A-Ah...yeah. You’re more experienced than I am in these things, but what do you usually do...if um...there’saguyyoulikeanditseemslikehelikesyoubutyou’renotsureifheactuallydoes?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A snort was heard over the line and you sighed in relief when Rui let out a warm chuckle. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Does our (Y/N) finally like someone? What, is he on the team you manage?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Bingo…” you shyly muttered and sat down on the chair that was tucked into a comfy corner. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“(L/N) (F/N) YOU COMMITTED TEAMCEST?! AHAHAHA wait, wait, wait. Let me guess what position he’s in. Blocker? Captain?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Nah, he’s one of the setters on the team.” you warmly smiled to yourself as you began to think about him again. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Cute so what you’re trying to say is that you don’t know what to do with your crush because you don’t know if he likes you back?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah and he’s pretty much married to volleyball, so a part of me thinks that there won’t be space for me even if there is an us.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There was some rustling on the other side of the phone and your leg began to bounce up and down. A million what-ifs began to fill your mind and you bit your lip. You could feel your mood slowly swing down and unknowingly let out a loud sigh.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Before I get into what I have to say, I need you to breathe for me, alright (Y/N)? I know having a crush is scary and you can’t help but overthink countless scenarios. That’s completely normal and if it makes you feel better, if he’s married to volleyball, then so are you. You’re one of the most passionate players I have ever seen and I haven’t stopped believing that despite our short fallout.”</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You winced at the mention of your previous actions and was about to say something until Rui continued on with her advice. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Don’t blame yourself, alright? I can already tell you’re about to say something about it and don’t worry. Homura and I completely understood why you did that and even Nishinoya reached out to us when things were still fresh y’know? We love you and nothing is going to change that. Now back to the mean reason for this phone call…” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A grateful smile could be seen on your face while you listened to Rui. She was always the mother figure in your little trio and you had always leaned on her the most whenever it came to girl problems. If anyone could read you like the back of their hand, it would be Rui. She knew how to read the room and in between the lines and was always well aware of anyone’s emotions whenever she talked to them. It was the reason why she was the captain of your team in the first place. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re right, thank you  Rui, you always know what to say.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“I know, now stop stalling and let me continue. I’m going to answer some questions and you’re going to have to answer them alright?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You laughed at the playful tone you picked up from her and nodded. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Osu~” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“How often do you spend time with each other?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Pretty often since we’re in the same grade- usually during breaks, practice, and sometimes outside of school.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Is he attentive more towards you than others in your group of friends?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I mean...he did lend me his sweater yesterday and always gives me strawberry milk at some point during the school week. He also makes sure I don’t over push my knee during practice.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Does he open up to you?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sometimes when the conversation calls for it and it’s just the two of us.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Is he different when it’s just you two compared to when you’re with the team?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’d say...he’s a little more gentle and open with me because with the boys he’s usually stoic and awkward.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Baka.” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What?! What do you mean?” you pouted. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rui’s laugh could be heard on the other side of the line and you crossed your arms, waiting for her to calm down. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“(Y/N) there is a high possibility that he likes you back. But because he’s a little awkward and I remember when we all met up to clear the air, you told us he was only capable of understanding volleyball. Now with your answers, it shows that he’s a lot more comfortable around you than any of the other guys on the team. Since I don’t personally know the guy, I say just take it on little by little. You’re at a great spot with him. He just needs to grow some balls and be aware of his feelings towards you.” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You really think so?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“I know so.” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A huge wave of relief washed over you and it made you miss being able to see Rui every day. You along with Rui and Homura would always walk home together. They would sometimes crash at your place if doing homework together ran too late for them to walk home. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I miss you and Homura.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>“We miss you too, (Y/N). We’re all busy and our coach is one tough bitch, let me tell you that. But hey, it’s why we wanted to go to the top school for girls volleyball, right?” </em>Rui chuckled and continued,<em> “but when break rolls around let’s hang out! I lowkey miss your mom’s cooking.”</em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’d like that. We can even bake Homura’s signature cookies together again!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>“This time you can bring Mr. Setter along too, we wouldn’t mind.” </em>Rui snickered.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Shut up!” you laughed and rolled your eyes at her teasing. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“I’m kidding, but I do expect updates alright?” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes mother~” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Good, I’ll talk to you later then. I wish we could talk more but I gotta look after my baby brother. The brat seems too quiet so I’m going to go check on what he’s up to. Love you!” </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Love you too, Rui. Send my regards to the rest of your fam and Homura!” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You sighed to yourself once the line went dead and stretched out your arms. It felt good to receive some help and gain some clarity about your little crush. Walking back inside, you settled down in front of your desk and smiled when your eyes landed on the Polaroid of you with Rui and Homura. Rui had her waist-length dark brown hair in a high ponytail while sporting black cargo pants with a cropped grey hoodie paired with a white sports bra. Homura had her short raven black hair tied half up and half down while wearing white high-waisted shorts and a French-tucked bright red oversized graphic t-shirt. Then there was you with a pair of ripped jeans and a cropped white shirt in the middle with their arms slung over your shoulders mid-laugh. Your mom had taken the photo of you guys when you went to an amusement park together.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was one of your favorite memories and you were happy that you were able to fix things with them. The weight on your chest and shoulders felt lighter now that you had them to lean on once more. You carried a lot of guilt from the past and with the newfound determination to move forward, fixing that burned bridge was one of the biggest things you wanted to accomplish. And now that it had thanks to the help of your new friends at Karasuno, you were slowly feeling as if you were able to conquer the world once more. Grabbing your notes from earlier today, it was time to dive into homework. And as you began your first assignment, your mind was at ease knowing that you didn’t have much to stress about when it came to Kageyama thanks to Rui’s help.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <hr/>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You groaned as light flooded into the classroom that all the girls were staying in once more. You blinked and rubbed your eyes tiredly, mentally taking note of how heavy your body felt. It was the second day of the training camp at Shinzen High and the girls were in charge of making breakfast for all of the teams. Sitting up, you clutched your head and bit your bottom lip when you felt the pain spread throughout your temples. The noise of the other girls finishing up their morning routine seemed to blur around you as you took out your phone to check the temperature for the day. You knew that the heat would affect you since you were always sensitive to heat, but didn’t think the possibility of being dehydrated or getting heatstroke would affect you this early. Falling back onto your futon, you rested your forearm over your eyes to block out the light and tried to mentally prepare yourself for the day. The sound of a duffle bag unzipping could be heard next to you, so you assumed that Shimizu had returned after getting ready.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“(Y/N)-chan, are you alright?” Shimizu asked when she noticed that you made no move to get ready yet. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You scrunched up your nose and slowly sat up then slowly shook your head. Shimizu frowned in concern and knelt beside you, pressing the back of her hand against your forehead to check your temperature. She quietly gasped before turning to her bag to see if the first aid kit was with her. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re burning up, do you have a fever?” she murmured. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, the heat and I don’t really mix well.” you sheepishly replied and grabbed your phone to check the time. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Ah, so your body just might have been overworked from yesterday, huh?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You nodded as she remembered the first day of their stay in Saitama. The boys were pumped to finally try all of the new attacks they had up their sleeves against the same schools as last time. All of their energy was bouncing off the walls after seeing other friends after so long and the managers were constantly moving to make sure that none of the other players suffered from the heat. Since it was hotter and the boys were constantly training, the girls were keeping an eye out for their bottles to make sure they always stay hydrated. You, Yachi, and Shimizu especially made sure that your boys were always equipped with water and cold-soaked towels whenever they did the hill run. The blonde had joined at the perfect time because you needed an extra pair of hands and also another eye to keep the boys in check. She was a cute little thing, although a little hesitant when it came to approaching the boys. It was understandable considering how rowdy the team could be. But you knew that as time passed, she would warm up to the boys in no time.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>This time around, the schedule was even more packed since there was more time to elongate the schedule so you were constantly running around with Yachi to make sure that the boys were never without water and their sports drinks. You didn’t even realize that you were getting dehydrated until dusk hit and you were feeling a little light-headed. You had assumed that it was because of not getting enough to eat after being dragged into extra practice with Kageyama and Hinata once individual/team practices were in session. You also went along with them to make sure they were doing alright since they haven’t really interacted with each other once solo practices became a thing. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With a sigh, you slumped back down into your futon and Shimizu softly laughed. The older one shook her head when she saw you sluggishly wrapped the blanket around yourself. She lightly bonked you on the head and you pouted in response. Holding out some medicine, Shimizu smiled and set it next to you on the floor. Ruffling your hair, she stood back up and looked at the clock. It was time for the girls to make their way towards the cafeteria and she looked back down at you who put a pillow over your head to block out the light. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll let Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei know that you won’t be as much involved in the first half of the day. I’ll bring you some food before their matches, alright?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You peeked out from underneath the pillow to see Shimizu by the door. With a small frown, you moved the pillow away from your face and said, “Sorry for leaving you alone today, Kiyoko-san. I know how much of a handful those boys can be.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She shook her head and warmly smiled at you. “Focus on getting better right now. The faster you rest, the faster you can feel better and help the boys out tonight.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Once the door was closed, you sighed to yourself and grabbed the insulated water bottle you kept by the backpack you brought for the trip. Chugging as much as you could, your eyes widened when you almost forgot about the thing you packed in your duffel bag that held your clothes. Smiling to yourself as you put the bottle down, you took a mental note to bring it out when you were feeling better. You settled back onto your futon and plugged in your earphones to help lull yourself back to sleep.  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Meanwhile, the boys tiredly filtered into the common room. Daichi and Sugawara were making sure that they lined up properly for the food as they filed in according to their years. Asahi was tasked with finding a table for them along with Ennoshita to get at least two tables for everyone. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were talking to each other about how practice went for them. Hinata was standing next to Kageyama, who was still half asleep. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He yawned to himself once more as he lazily looked at the menu; half-listening to Hinata complain about how Tsukishima got to practice with Bokuto, Kuroo, and Akaashi. He was snapped out of his daze when Tanaka and Nishinoya screamed in happiness to see that Shimizu was at the window. He grabbed a tray for himself and listened in on what everyone was saying. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Our dear Kiyoko-san is serving us breakfast, we’re so blessed! Please marry me!” Tanaka happily sighed as she took down their order. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Kiyoko-san, thank you for all of your hard work!” Nishinoya praised her as he glanced behind her to try and spot you. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Eh? Where’s (Y/N)-chan?” Yamaguchi asked, also noticing that she was standing with a manager from Shinzen.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“She’s probably off talking to one of her other friends.” Tsukishima snickered as he waited for his food. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t be like that, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi sheepishly said as he noticed the dark auras coming from Nishinoya and Tanaka. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kageyama also glanced at Shimizu as they all went down the line and they waited for her answer. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Is she okay, Shimizu-san?” Hinata asked. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“She isn’t feeling well at the moment. I think the heat from yesterday got the best of her.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That idiot, she knows better than that,” Nishinoya grumbled when he received his food. Sighing, he waited for Tanaka to receive his food before saying as they headed for the table, “Well, it can’t be helped because she’ll always put others before herself. I’m just going to have to stop by before we start to check up on her. No wait scratch that- yell at her.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kageyama sighed and mentally shook his head as they all headed towards their table, food in hands. He knew he should’ve said something when he noticed that you began to zone out towards the end of the night. Glaring at his food, he made a mental note to scold you later for not taking better care of yourself. For now, he needed as much food in his system for the day and began to dig in. As breakfast went on, he smirked to himself as he watched Nishinoya bully Tsukishima for making fun of his big appetite. The blonde tried his best to push their energetic libero off of him, complaining that his glasses might break. ‘Hah, serves that smartass right.’ </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Ah, welcome back Shimizu.” Daichi greeted her and the boys greeted her as well while she set down her meal to eat with them. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you planning on checking up on Haya-chan once we’re done?” Sugawara asked. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She sighed and pushed up her glasses. “I wish I could, but we have a lot to do chores and preparation wise.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We understand Shimizu, I’m sure we can send one of the boys here to do it for you. Our practice matches don’t start for a while. I’m pretty sure our teachers would understand since it’s only one of us that’s missing.” Daichi reassured her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Shimizu gave him a thankful smile and he looked at the rest of the boys. “Alright, so who would like to go?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You know I would, but Asahi and I already planned to practice more. I was going to see her right before the practice matches started because she might be sleeping.” Nishinoya sheepishly replied. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Some of the spikers are gathering together for extra practice too,” Tanaka added. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We would too, but Daichi and I promised Shimizu that we would help her carry the laundry for her,” Sugarawa said as he slung his arm over the captain’s shoulders. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I was going to go practice my serves,” Yamaguchi said as Daichi’s glance landed upon the first years. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tsukishima pointed his thumb at Yamaguchi and said, “I’m going with him.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yachi-san and I were gonna practice.” Hinata sheepishly smiled as he rubbed his neck and Yachi nodded. They have been partners during practice ever since she found out what happened between Kageyama and Hinata.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Everyone turned to look at Kageyama who was still mindlessly eating. Hinata nudged him on the stomach, causing him to slightly choke on his food. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What? Hinata you dumbass!” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Hinata rolled his eyes and said, “Are you doing anything before we gather for drills?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He shook his head and turned towards the rest of the table to finally realize that the rest of Karasuno was looking at him. Daichi stood up and walked around to give him a pat on the back. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And there we have it. Thanks for volunteering to bring food to (Y/N) once we’re all done here.” he happily smiled.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He blanked as everyone gave him a knowing look and the words that Daichi just said finally settled in his mind. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“HUH?!”</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. - 11 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You wake up to find Kageyama delivering the food that the rest of the managers reserved for you. While eating, you get to see the rare side of soft Kageyama and the small time frame you have with each other, it shows that both of your walls are slowly coming down. Then after having a late start to the day, the boys show how much they’ve missed you, and as the day goes on, some priceless moments are finally captured through your infamous Polaroid.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy December everyone! Sorry for the late update, I wanted to spend some time away from social media and completely be immersed in spending time with my family over the holidays. But now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s back to regular weekly updates until Christmas comes around, hahaha This week’s chapter feels like a filler and a bit on the shorter side. I just wanted to get something out for y’all because I noticed it’s been maybe two weeks since the last update? ^^; Sorry about that~ As always, the story is crossposted/updated on Tumblr! Hope all of you lovelies have been staying safe and taking care of yourselves, love you guys!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kageyama sighed as he eyed the bento box in his hand. It was packed and given to him by Shimizu once he followed her, Sugawara, and Daichi into the kitchen when everyone parted ways. After the food was ready to be delivered, the boys slapped his shoulders in encouragement and he watched the third years leave him to fetch the laundry baskets. <em>‘I…somehow feel…as if everyone was in on this…’</em> He thought to himself as he entered the girls’ building and towards the classroom that had its door slightly ajar. </p><p>“Sorry for the intrusion…” he said softly as he slid the door open and made his way inside. </p><p>He scanned the room and noticed the small bundle of blankets in the corner across from him. Making his way over, his gaze softened once he stopped next to the sleeping figure. You were curled up in a small ball with your arms tucked into your chest. Your phone was next to you with one of your playlists on its screen and he quietly kneeled down next to you. Without knowing, he began to admire your features. Kageyama thought you looked more peaceful with your face relaxed. You looked more innocent compared to your usual expression with your eyebrows scrunched up in focus or the permanent scowl you directed at them during games. He reached out and touched your forehead, sighing in relief to find out that you didn’t have any temperature. </p><p>Setting your meal next to him, he frowned as he tried to figure out the best way to wake you up. Nishinoya warned that if you didn’t get enough rest, you’d be cranky and probably lash out at him. If he was too soft on you, then you wouldn’t feel a thing because you were a heavy sleeper. With a sigh, he followed his gut and leaned over you. He didn’t know how to deal with waking up a girl so Kageyama decided to go with the soft approach. His mind flashed to your exhausted look on your face from the night before and pursed his lips. With the chance to sleep in, he hoped that it helped you feel a lot better after taking care of the team. Sitting on his knees, he rested his weight on his left arm and gently shook your shoulder with his right hand. </p><p>“(Y/N), it’s time to wake up. Shimizu-senpai asked me to bring you food.” </p><p>He waited for a couple of seconds for you to respond, but without any movement, he decided to shake you a little harder. </p><p>“Oi, you shorty. Wake up,” he said louder. </p><p>You groaned and swatted his hand away from you. “Five more minutes mom, I don’t feel good…” </p><p>“This girl-Oi, little miss sleepy head. Wake up or else I’m going to kill you.” Kageyama hissed as his patience wore thin when he saw you turn over and hug the blanket tighter. With a blank expression, he gave up trying to be gentle and began to relentlessly shake your shoulder. </p><p>“Hnng…wha…?” you murmured sleepily and now aware of someone shaking you awake. “What in the…”  </p><p>Kageyama paused and watched you sleepily rub your eyes. It was a rare sight to see you with your walls down while he waited for you to fully wake up. With your hair slightly disheveled and a small pout on your lips, Kageyama quickly sat back on his knees and looked away. <em>‘Am I even allowed to see her like this?’ </em></p><p>You mentally tried to gather your thoughts as your surroundings became more clear to you. Annoyance started to bubble up inside you from being woken up so harshly. There was still a light ache in your head and mentally decided to lash out at whoever decided to disturb your peace. Pushing yourself up to your elbows, you glared at the person and Kageyama immediately gulped when he met your gaze. He immediately shifted his gaze elsewhere and waited for you to say something. You were surprised to find that it was Kageyama next to you rather than Nishinoya and immediately relaxed your features. </p><p>“Tobio?” you asked sleepily. </p><p>He turned back to you and you sat up, mentally cheering that your body didn’t feel as heavy as before. You turned your body to face him and raised an eyebrow at him. </p><p>“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at training right now?” you asked tiredly and reached for your water bottle. </p><p>“I would be, but someone took too long to wake up,” he grumbled and shoved the bento box into your lap.</p><p>You choked on your water and smiled sheepishly when you put down the bottle. “Sorry, waking up is pretty hard for me if I don’t have a set time to be up.”</p><p>“Shimizu-senpai told me to give that to you.” he nodded towards the food sitting in your lap. </p><p>You smiled when you opened it and let out a happy sound. “She remembered that I liked my rice with egg. It’s always my go-to for breakfast.” </p><p>He watched as you quickly added the soy sauce and furikake seasoning on top before mixing the raw egg and its toppings with the rice. As he watched you dig into the food, he relaxed when he noticed that your energy was slowly coming back.</p><p>“Are you feeling better?” he asked.</p><p>You swallowed the food you were eating and looked up in thought. “A little better, I might try to freshen myself up to see if that helps.” </p><p>“…so you’re not going to be there today?” Kageyama asked as he changed his sitting position. He leaned against his hands behind him and his legs were crisscrossed in front of him. He thoughtfully looked at you and tried to imagine what training would be like without you there to give him critiques or yell at the rest of the team.</p><p>You shrugged and said, “We’ll see. I might rest until you guys finish lunch. Then by the afternoon, if I’m feeling better, I’ll see you guys at the gym…hopefully.” </p><p>He sighed then glanced at the clock and you smiled at him, thankful that he took some time to check up on you. Your gaze followed his and realized that the practice matches were about to start. </p><p>“You better hurry or else Coach Ukai will yell at you.” </p><p>Kageyama grunted and stood up from his position. Straightening out his practice clothes, he lightly bonked you on the head before making his way towards the door. You watched as he lazily waved at you. </p><p>“Says the one that’s currently sick. Take better care of yourself, baka.” </p><p>With a laugh, you nodded and he walked away. Your gaze softened and smiled to yourself while biting the tip of your chopsticks. It surprised you that Kageyama was the one to bring you the meal you missed and was probably forced to. Even if that was the case, you were glad to see that he didn’t seem as closed off as before. As you finished up your food, you knew that one more nap and a shower would bring you back to normal. So once you put the bento to the side, you chugged the rest of your water then grabbed what you needed before heading towards the showers to finally kick start your day. </p><hr/><p>“(Y/N)-chan, welcome back!” Kaori greeted you when you walked into the kitchen. </p><p>You smiled at the managers who were finishing up with cutting watermelons for all the boys at the camp. The other girls were happy to see that you were back to being your energetic self after seeing the drastic change in your personality just a couple of hours prior. </p><p>“I hope there wasn’t too much chaos while I was gone for the first half,” you said and bowed to them before straightening back up and sheepishly rubbed your neck.</p><p>“Nah, but your boys have been losing. Although, their spirits don’t seem to die either way.” One of the managers from Shinzen informed you.</p><p>You shrugged and walked to where Shimizu and Yachi were cutting some and immediately began to help them out. </p><p>“It was to be expected, haha. We’re trying a lot of new and different things so it’s just a matter of getting it in their bodies.” </p><p>“How are you feeling, (Y/N)-chan?” Shimizu asked. </p><p>“I feel better. The food was amazing this morning, by the way. I’ve been drinking a lot of water and sports drinks once I was completely awake too.” you chirped and gave her a cheeky smile. </p><p>“That’s good, the boys were worried about you this morning.” Yachi chimed in. </p><p>“Eh? Really?” </p><p>Shimizu nodded and passed you a tray that was filled with the last of the watermelon. “They were down at first, but they wanted to train even harder today to show you that they’ve been working hard.” </p><p>“I’m assuming they’re doing it for some extra praise?” you smirked. </p><p>The others nodded and the three of you laughed while you made your way towards the gym. You giggled behind the rest of the girls as the manager from Ubugawa announced that they’ll be given watermelon during their break. You peeked behind Shimizu’s shoulders to find the Karasuno boys out of breath. A part of you was worried because of how many times they’ve been running up the hill, but another part was glad to see that they were pushing themselves to be at their very best. All of the boys made their way outside as the managers stood by the door so they could take one on their way out. You stood at the end of the line and waited to see who would spot you first. </p><p>“EH?! (Y/N)-CHAN!” Hinata exclaimed when his eyes landed on you. </p><p>With that saying, the rest of the boys zeroed in on you and before you knew it, they were racing towards you with bright smiles. </p><p>“We missed you!” Daichi said and ruffled your hair before grabbing a slice. </p><p>“It was a little quiet without you reprimanding Kageyama and Hinata for their antics during breakfast this morning.” Sugawara chuckled. </p><p>“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better, (Y/N)-chan.” Asahi smiled. </p><p>After the three boys left, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Ennoshita, and the rest of the second years went up to you for their share. </p><p>“Glad to see you’re up and running, (Y/N)-chan.” Nishinoya grinned and squeezed your cheek. </p><p>“What can I say? You know how I can be sometimes and hey- stop that hurts y’know?” you huffed and swatted his hand away as he laughed and grabbed his slice before walking away to find a spot to sit. </p><p>“Did you enjoy your little breakfast delivery?” Tanaka snickered and wriggled his eyebrows at you. </p><p>With a slight kick at his ankle, he winced and you smiled innocently. “Did you know that Shimizu-senpai is out of your league? Don’t test me today, Ryu-nii.” </p><p>He laughed and turned towards Nishinoya before walking off. “Oi, she totally enjoyed her morning!” Turning back to you, he clicked his tongue and pointed finger guns at you, “Don’t worry about that, I’m completely aware of that kid. I’m gonna make her fall in love with me either way.” </p><p>“I’m sorry for that, (Y/N)-chan. But we are glad to see that you’re doing okay.” Ennoshita said. </p><p>“Of course, I can’t let Shimizu-senpai and Yachi-chan do all the work when it comes to you guys.” you smiled and you immediately rolled your eyes when you saw who was next. </p><p>“Oh, so you didn’t die?” Tsukishima snickered while he grabbed one before immediately walking away. </p><p>You raised your fist at him and mentally cursed him in your mind for being such a smartass. <em>’Just you wait until I beat your ass when I get a chance to spike a ball past you, you salty prick.’ </em></p><p>“Why this mother-” </p><p>“Don’t mind him, (Y/N)-chan. But I hope you’re feeling better.” Yamaguchi said hurriedly with a sheepish smile before getting his slice, trying to catch up to the blonde. </p><p>“Glad to see you’re doing a lot better. I missed seeing you this morning.” Hinata smiled before making his way towards Kenma and Lev on the hill after being pushed out of the way when he made your presence known. </p><p>“Are you sure you should be doing this?” Kageyama asked as he took the last slice and bit into it. </p><p>You shrugged and held the tray to your side. “I mean I feel fine and if it makes you relax, I’ll take it easy today.” </p><p>He narrowed his eyes at you and you held out your pinky in response. “Pinky promise.”</p><p>With a sigh, he reluctantly linked his pinky with yours, still doubting that you were at your best.  You simply gave him a playful salute and smirked. “I won’t let you down.” </p><p>“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever,” he grumbled before walking off. </p><p><em>‘It’s like he’s trying his hardest not to show that he cares.’</em> You laughed to yourself before walking back to the kitchen to refill your tray with more watermelon.</p><hr/><p>“Oh? You brought it out, huh?” Yachi smiled when her eyes landed on the Polaroid camera you brought along to one of the practice matches later in the day.</p><p>You smiled as you set it down beside your things on the bench. You quickly put your hair up in a bun and began to fill it with a new packet of film. </p><p>“I figured I could show the boys how hard they’ve been looking with some action shots.” </p><p>“It’s true, this is the most motivated I’ve seen them. It’s quite scary because collisions like the one that happened yesterday could happen again. If that happens, then those types of accidents can lead to major injuries if they’re not careful.” Shimizu added while looking over their notes to summarize their current statistics.</p><p>You hummed in agreement and as the boys filed out of the gym for their punishment, you knew it was the perfect time to get some candids of the boys. You stood by the door as they stretched their legs and took one of the third years together. Then when the boys reached the top, you took one of all their silhouettes standing together. And once they slowly made their way down the hill, you smiled to yourself as you managed to get one of Nishinoya jumping onto Tanaka’s back. The flash took them by surprise and Nishinoya smiled widely. </p><p>“You brought the camera!” he grinned and jumped off of Tanaka. </p><p>Walking up to you, he snatched it from you and smiled cheekily while playfully shaking it. “My turn to take some pictures.” </p><p>Without getting a word out from you, he ran away and you could only sigh in disbelief. <em>‘He really never runs out of energy, huh?’ </em></p><p>You looked back towards the hill to see that most of them were about to come back and hurriedly picked up the bottles of water Shimizu set against the wall near the entrance. Grabbing as many as you could, you began to hand it out to the rest of the boys. </p><p>“Good work today, you guys!” you cheered as they grabbed their bottles and tried to catch their breath. </p><p>A chorus of ‘thank you’ surrounded you and you pouted once Daichi ruffled your hair. </p><p>“What do I always say about the hair?” you whined. </p><p>“Not to touch it, but we still do because of that reaction of yours” Asahi chuckled and smiled in thanks as he grabbed his bottle from you. </p><p>You turned around as they walked past you, slowly making their way into the gym, and someone tapped you on the shoulder. You smiled to see that it was Kageyama. He tiredly wiped his face with his towel and you held out his water bottle. </p><p>“Good job today, Tobio,” you said while he wrapped his towel around his neck. </p><p>“Thanks,” he murmured and grabbed the other end of his bottle. You rocked on your heels as you waited for him to compose himself and took a sip of his water. </p><p>“Do you mind if we practice after dinner?” he asked as he looked down at you with a hint of a smile on his face. </p><p>You shook your head and said, “I don’t mind as long as you’re down for a rematch.” </p><p>He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Oh? Someone doesn’t like to lose.”</p><p>With a cheeky smile, you shoved his bottle towards his chest and said, “I need to get my revenge on the prodigy y’know?” </p><p>“AHAHA I GOT IT! TANAKA I REALLY I GOT THAT!” Nishinoya exclaimed. </p><p>The two of you snapped your heads to the right to find Nishinoya holding your Polaroid in his hands with Tanaka standing behind him, laughing his head off. Kageyama just blinked, still trying to process what happened, as you stomped over to them. Snatching the camera out of their hands, you plucked whatever pictures Nishinoya took out of his hands.</p><p>“Stop fooling around, you shitheads!” you yelled and jabbed both of them in the stomach. </p><p>They fell to the ground in pain but burst out laughing once more. “It was too cute not to capture! We never get to see soft Kageyama!” </p><p>“Shut up right now Yu-nii.” you hissed. </p><p>“C’mon you can’t deny it once you see the photo,” Tanaka added. </p><p>Sugawara called out for them to come back inside and you sighed to yourself as you shuffled through the photos. Tanaka and Nishinoya nudged your sides when they passed you, still trying to tease you as much as they could. You snickered when Sugawara slapped the back of their heads before turning your attention back to the photos in your hands. One was a selca of Nishinoya and Tanaka, another was of Tsukishima flipping off the camera with Yamaguchi simply not knowing what to do in the background, another was of the third years smiling widely at the camera, the second to last one was of Hinata flashing a wide smile and holding up a ‘V,’ and the last one was of you and Kageyama. </p><p>You bit your lip while you tried to stop yourself from smiling so widely. Nishinoya had caught the moment of you and Kageyama smirking and smiling at each other. Kageyama’s facial expression was the closest anyone would see to him for smiling and there was a joyful look in his eyes. Meanwhile, you were looking up at him with your dimple showing and you knew you had let your emotions show too quickly. <em>‘I guess Yu-nii can be useful with that camera sometimes.’</em> you thought to yourself before putting all of the pictures into your bag and made your way towards the kitchen to help with dinner.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. - 12 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The boys have been working as hard as ever during the training camp and Kuroo gives you some updates on what happened during free practice the night before. Then later that day, Nishinoya checks in on you during one of their breaks and a bet is made between the two of you. And as the day comes to a close, as usual, you’re practicing with Kageyama and both of you lose track of time. This time, you’ve accidentally pushed yourself past your limits and your injury acts up again.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, hello everyone! Here is an update with the next part! Sorry, it hasn’t been consistent lately, life just gets in the way, y’know? But I do hope that you guys enjoy this chapter! Comments and feedback are highly appreciated (plus they really make my day ;;). Then lastly like always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The constant buzzing of cicadas filled the air as you lazily walked through the empty hallways. All of the boys of the camp were doing their warmups before they started their roster of practice matches. You and the managers had just finished up the kitchen when you decided to sneak away for a bit before meeting up with Kiyoko and Yachi to do the laundry and fill up their bottles with sports drinks. It was nice to finally have a moment to yourself, especially with how chaotic it got when the boys started to get delirious from their exhaustion. A buzz in your pocket caught your attention and took a seat on the steps of the building closest to you. You raised an eyebrow at the name on the screen and wondered how the person was texting you when he should be doing drills.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>From: Kuroo-Neko<br/>To: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Oi, I kept up my promise.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>To: Kuroo-Neko<br/>From: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Eh? Wtf are you talking about.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>From: Kuroo-Neko<br/>To: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Blondie came back to us and started asking us questions. He’s a little pain in the ass though.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>To: Kuroo-Neko<br/>From: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>LMAO welcome to what I have to deal with 24/7</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>What did he need anyways?<br/>And shouldn’t you be doing drills rn?</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>From: Kuroo-Neko <br/>To: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>He asked for help about blocking. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Him and Akaashi got along great, I’m not surprised. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Those two kept making smart remarks at me and the owl.<br/>It’s also called being on a water break, baka.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>To: Kuroo-Neko<br/>From: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Damn, you text back, if only all guys were like you.<br/>AHAHAHAHA I can imagine. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Well I’m glad that tall giant finally did something about it.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>He was starting to lag behind; he’s been all bark and no bite.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>From: Kuroo-Neko<br/>To: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Are you saying you have a crush on me?<br/>I guess you’ll just have to wait and see how amazing teachers we were for him ;) </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>To: Kuroo-Neko<br/>From: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Ew, gross. Who would want to date a chemistry nerd? ;P<br/>jk, I’m not the one for you.<br/>Yeah, yeah. Thanks Tetsu~ </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>From: Kuroo-Neko<br/>To: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>That’s because someone likes a King.<br/>Anytime, kiddo. Also, our services aren’t free btw. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>We want to make you happy, but still. ;D</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>To: Kuroo-Neko<br/>From: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>ASDFGHJKL; TETSU. IDK WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>You’re lucky I’m staying at my dad’s once this is all over.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>From: Kuroo-Neko<br/>To: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>I’ll let the owl know that ramen is on you the next time we all hang out ;D </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>To: Kuroo-Neko<br/>From: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>…what did I say about excessively using those winky faces?</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>From: Kuroo-Neko<br/>To: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Don’t deny that you love it ;* </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>To: Kuroo-Neko<br/>From: Chibi-chan</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>…I am going to kill you.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>You huffed as you rolled your eyes, trying to stop the smiling that was creeping onto your face because of Kuroo’s behavior. He was always a tease and that was what always got him in trouble. You shook your head and slipped your phone back into your back pocket. It was almost time to head back to the gym so you rested your hands behind your neck while walking. Your mind began to shift to a certain sarcastic blocker that was finally going through his transformation. Tsukishima had suddenly become more invested in their games rather than his usual playing to just be passable. You noticed during the last few games that there was a different glint in his eye and you were glad to see that the blonde found new motivation. Ever since the team had gone through this sort of awakening, you couldn’t help but worry and constantly tried to come up with a plan to help the blonde. The problem was that he was always so closed off and you never got the chance to find out what went on in that smartass head of his. Thankfully, Bokuto and Kuroo had their ways of stringing him into their small practice group when individual practices began at night. Hearing about and seeing his progress from them made you happy. Now everyone was back on the same page and their dynamic was finally improving. You laughed to yourself when you remembered watching Bokuto get yelled at by Akaashi for running away from Tsukishima on the court by doing a feint. He was always a ball of pride and energy so seeing a third-year back down to a first-year was a great change of scenery on the court. </p><p>“(Y/N)-chan, you’ve been laughing to yourself for a while there.” </p><p>You snapped out of your daze and looked back at Yachi who was refilling the boys’ water bottles. You and the girls were standing on top of the hill and watching over the boys doing their punishment once more. There was a slight breeze in the air which helped cool everyone down from the summer heat. Exhaustion was slowly taking a toll on the boys and so the three of you decided to make it easier and keep a jug of water to carry around for easy refills. You were in the middle of shaking a bottle after adding the sports drink mix into it and assumed you paused while getting lost in your thoughts. The boys had also already reached the top and you smiled sheepishly. </p><p>“Oops, I guess I got too lost in my thoughts.” </p><p>“That isn’t new,” Tsukishima smirked. </p><p>You rolled your eyes and passed him his bottle. “Well, at least I know what I need to do, unlike someone who’s been lagging and acting bored all the time.”</p><p>You snickered at his reaction: eyes wide and jaw hanging. With a shrug, you picked up another bottle and continued to do your task. </p><p>“Yeah well, my mind was changed. I’m going to be better than anyone else.” </p><p>You hummed in amusement and nodded at him. “Well, can’t wait to be proved wrong, light post.” </p><p>“Haaaa? Light post?” </p><p>You looked over your shoulder with a smirk. “It fits you, doesn’t it? Tall, skinny, and a blonde top.” </p><p>“Whatever.” </p><p>“I’m serious though, glad to see you doing better, light post.” You smiled before walking away from Tsukishima. </p><p>Your eyes traveled towards Hinata and Kageyama who haven’t really acknowledged each other yet and you sighed to yourself. It’s been a while since the two have properly talked to each other if it wasn’t concerning volleyball. Their teamwork still was a bit off and you hoped that the two boys would fix it soon. You purse your lips in thought as the boys relaxed for a bit on top of the hill. </p><p>“Are you alright?” Nishinoya asked as he joined you on the ground and leaned against the tree you were sitting against. </p><p>“I’m just worried about those two over there,” you replied and tiredly leaned your head on his shoulder, nodding towards Hinata and Kageyama. </p><p>“Ah, those two. You don’t need to worry about them, you should know by now that they always fight.” he chuckled and took a sip of his sports drink. </p><p>“Are you sure?” you asked while you watched Kageyama snap back to whatever Tsukishima said while Hinata and Yamaguchi were having a casual conversation. </p><p>“We’re guys, we don’t talk about our emotions. We just show that we’re wrong with our actions. If anything, shouldn’t you be stressing about a certain someone and what his next move is?” </p><p>You rolled your eyes and Nishinoya snickered, playfully nudging you on the stomach. You pushed him away he laughed out loud. </p><p>“Oh c’mon (Y/N)-chan! You’re not even denying it anymore!” </p><p>“I don’t know what you mean, you guys are just assuming things,” you muttered and avoided his gaze by focusing on the patch of grass next to you. You twiddled around with the pieces of grass and Nishinoya clicked his tongue.</p><p>“Stop denying yourself. I have a gut feeling that Kageyama might even ask you out soon~ call it a guy’s intuition.” he teased. </p><p>You slapped him on the shoulder and glared at him. “It’s bad to lie, Yu-nii.” </p><p>“I’m totally telling the truth here! We can even make a bet!” </p><p>“…You want to make a bet out of this? What are you, crazy? You’re putting my feelings on the line here!” you exasperatedly sighed. </p><p>“AHA! So you do like him,” he smirked and wriggled his eyebrows. </p><p>You laughed and just smiled as you looked back at Kageyama. Your gaze softened and you couldn’t help but blush when he lifted the bottom of his shirt to wipe off the sweat from his forehead. </p><p>“And what if I’m just protecting myself, then? He wouldn’t even go for a girl like-” </p><p>“Don’t you dare finish that sentence (L/N) (F/N). Kageyama and any other guy would be stupid if he didn’t go for you.” </p><p>Your head snapped back at Nishinoya with widened eyes.  He had a brotherly smile and you almost forgot that Nishinoya could say the right things when the time called for it. He held out his arm and you sighed while leaning against him. You basked in the comfort he was giving you and it served as a reminder that Nishinoya was one of the best things that happened in your life. </p><p>“I know I can be a tease, but in all seriousness, even the rest of the team can see it. You bring out a softer side of Kageyama that no one’s ever seen before. I’m not saying it’s going to happen right away, but we’re all pretty sure he’s developing some sort of feelings towards you.” </p><p>“And what if you’re wrong?” You asked quietly. “I don’t want this to be a situation where we get together because everyone is going to plant that seed in our heads. Just because we share the same passion and have been growing closer as friends don’t mean that it could or should lead to something more than that.”</p><p>“Then that’s what the bet is for. If you’re wrong, then I will be at your total disposal to comfort you. I’ll do whatever you want whether it’d be getting you comfort food at two in the morning or even just doing household chores while you lay in bed all day.” </p><p>You bit your lip in contemplation because Nishinoya was always the person you could lean on and your shared bets were your own way of seeing the bigger picture for each other. If the prediction was ever wrong, the other would do their best to comfort the other. Both of you had the same tendency of having tunnel vision in your own lives and it was always the other that helped them realize the things that they were overlooking.</p><p>You gave in to your thoughts and sat up to look at him. He grinned at you and you raised an eyebrow at him, crossing your arms while analyzing his eyes to make sure that he wasn’t trying to pull anything on you.</p><p>“And what if you’re right about all this? Say if he does ask me out soon and I lose the bet, what do I have to do?” </p><p>The devilish glint in his eye gave away what direction this was heading for you and you could only facepalm yourself as the words left his mouth. </p><p>“You’re going to have to dye your hair just like mine.” </p><hr/><p>It was finally time for night practices to go on and you grinned to herself. The temperature outside was finally going down and you planned to catch Kuroo or Bokuto to see if they’d let you practice with their teams for a bit. A part of you was worried about Hinata and Kageyama after they argued over the fact that Kageyama had unconsciously changed the way he set the ball. After the practice match against Nekoma was over, you and Ukai had talked over the logistics that you wrote down during the match. Both were surprised at the fact that Hinata was able to differentiate Kageyama’s set. Not many could tell and it made you reconsider just how much Hinata’s been growing with volleyball. But what mattered at the end of the day was that even if the two couldn’t see it, Hinata and Kageyama were working towards getting their new attack down. </p><p>Ruffling your hair in frustration, you walked away from the third gymnasium and hurriedly walked towards the gym that Hinata said they were going to try and practice at. You let out the breath you were unconsciously holding when you saw Hinata and Kageyama standing on an empty court. You quietly approached them and stood by the basket of volleyballs not wanting to disturb their conversation. Yachi was also there and biting her nails because she didn’t know what to do with them. She worriedly glanced at you and in return, you gave her a small smile. With an arm on her shoulder, the two of you walked off to the side to give the boys their space and waited until the conversation finished. </p><p>“What are you doing, Kageyama?” Hinata asked as they watched him put down multiple water bottles along the net. </p><p>“Starting tonight, I’m not practicing with you.” He tiredly said. </p><p>You and Yachi watched Hinata stand there with his head tilted to the side. The boys met each other’s gazes and you assumed that Hinata was silently questioning Kageyama’s words. “And I won’t be using the new quick with you during matches.”</p><p>“What?!” Hinata pouted.</p><p>Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Yachi begin to panic. You couldn’t help but worry too because every time this conversation happened, there was always some sort of friction happening that would lead to another argument. <em>‘Kami, please let me see the light of day and calm these two idiots down.’</em></p><p>You were about to step in when Kageyama looked over his shoulder and said, “You’re the one that told me not to stop, aren’t you? There’s no point in us practicing together right now.” </p><p>There was a pause and you held your breath while Yachi clung onto your arm. </p><p>“Okay! Kenma, give me tosses! Yachi-san you can come with me too! I think Kenma would feel better if there was another person with us” Hinata simply replied before running towards the other court. </p><p>You smirked to yourself and finally understood what Nishinoya told you earlier that day. Yachi let out a relieved sigh and smiled. The boys finally came to an understanding and she leaned against the pole nearest to her. </p><p>“So that means that the boys are okay now right?” Yachi asked.</p><p>You nodded and ruffled her hair. “Yeah, I think they’re okay now. Go and catch up with Hinata before Kenma gets his energy dragged out.” </p><p>“Osu, I’ll see you later (Y/N)-chan!”</p><p>“Is that how guys work things out?” you asked Kageyama as he walked back towards you. </p><p>He shrugged and grabbed a volleyball. “We said what we needed to say on the court earlier. Now we’re just moving on with the next step.” </p><p>Rolling your eyes at his response, you pushed yourself off of the pole while smiling. He tossed the ball towards you and you laughed while flawlessly catching the ball. </p><p>“You don’t have to admit you like having him as your partner, I can see that you guys are the perfect pair.” you teased walked to the side while he got into position. </p><p>“…shut up and just toss me the ball, shorty,” he grumbled</p><p>“Shall we continue our little game afterward?” you smiled. </p><p>“Always.” he grinned to himself as he set the ball you tossed at him. </p><hr/><p>After an hour or so, you and Kageyama tiredly fell onto the floor as the volleyball bounced to the side. Once Kageyama’s accuracy improved and he was able to set the ball towards two bottles three times in a row, you agreed to do another game against each other. The rallies started off with hitting the ball four to five times without it falling. But as time passed, the ball kept getting passed longer and longer. Before you knew it, some of Fukurodani’s managers had stopped by to let them know that dinner already started. You were so zoned in to your game that you didn’t realize that the two of you were the last ones inside the gym.</p><p>“It’s another tie!” You pouted and tiredly rolled onto your stomach, laying your head on your arms. </p><p>Kageyama chuckled as he picked up the last stray volleyball and shrugged. “That means we just need to continue tomorrow.” </p><p>“Ugh, but I wanted to beat you now.” you groaned and rolled onto your back, still trying to catch your breath.</p><p>“This just proves I’m the more superior player out of us two.” He smirked while towering over you. </p><p>You playfully glared at him and said, “Not even, I can totally beat your ass, stupid King.” </p><p>Kageyama snorted and held out his hand to help you get up. “Says the one whose nickname is <em>Firecracker</em>.” </p><p>You lightly slapped his shoulder and tried to center your weight while he pulled you up. Not only had Kageyama pulled a little too hard and your momentum was thrown off, but pain shot up your leg making you lose your balance in the process.</p><p>“What the-” you mumbled before you felt Kageyama wrap his arms around your waist, helping you stand. </p><p>Unconsciously, you had wrapped your arms around his neck to prevent yourself from falling and began to curse as the pain became more apparent. You looked down to see that your right knee had swollen up.</p><p>“Damn it why did this have to happen? This shit is the worst and I thought I was getting better. Fuck, why didn’t I feel this while playing? Ugh, I hate th-” </p><p>Your rant was cut as you looked up to find how close your face was to Kageyama’s while he looked down at you in concern. All of the words that you were about to say got caught in your throat as you felt your heartbeat increase. You suddenly became more aware of the feeling of Kageyama’s arms around you and gulped.</p><p>“Are you okay? You idiot, you shouldn’t have pushed yourself too hard. Can you walk?” he gently scolded and stepped back, hands still holding your waist. </p><p>Your hands had fallen to rest on his chest as he assessed the damage for himself and you bit your lip, feeling your cheeks and ears burn up. The constant thumping of your heartbeat hummed in your chest and you were internally freaking out. <em>‘How did we get into this position? He’s too close. I don’t know what to do with myself. God, I hope he doesn’t hear how fast my heart is beating!’ </em></p><p>Kageyama sighed as he eyed you, putting all of your weight on your left foot. He then looked at your face to gauge if you were feeling any intense pain. You had grown quiet and he wondered as to why you weren’t saying anything. He was confused about why you looked so flustered and questioned why there was a slight pink tint on your face. </p><p>You gulped and gently tapped his shoulder to get his attention. When he looked up to meet your gaze, you sheepishly smiled. “T-Tobio, a bit too close.” </p><p>Heat immediately crept up from his neck to his cheeks and ears as he immediately took a step back to give you some space. </p><p>Kageyama immediately looked away as he covered his face with the back of his hand with his heart pounding and muttered, “S-Sorry about that.” </p><p>You waved it away and decided to hold onto his shoulder for support. You looked up at him and gave him a shy smile. “It’s alright, you were just concerned and helping me out, Tobio.” </p><p>“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked while turning his attention back to your leg that was slightly bent to prevent any weight from being put on it. </p><p>You smiled sheepishly and said, “I should be okay if I limp towards the cafeteria.” </p><p>With a sigh, Kageyama bent down with his back facing towards you. You tilted your head to the side and asked, “What are you doing?” </p><p>Without looking at you, Kageyama motioned with his arms for you to get on his back. “W-What does it look like I’m doing? You obviously can’t walk all the way to the cafeteria right now and if you sling your arm over my shoulders, my back is going to ache because of how short you are.” </p><p>You were about to retort when he continued, “Just get on my back, I don’t mind carrying you and it’s the fastest way for us to get there in time for dinner.” </p><p>Biting the smile that was threatening to break out onto your face, you gently got onto his back and Kageyama tightly wrapped his arms around your legs once he hoisted you up. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and he began to make his way out of the gym. The faint scent of his cologne and deodorant filled your senses while they quietly walked through the corridors. </p><p>“…are you okay? Let me know if I need to adjust,” he murmured. </p><p>You tightened your grip around him silently nodded, afraid that you would say something dumb. Kageyama gave you a squeeze in response and you finally let yourself relax in his arms. With your head resting on his shoulder, you smiled to yourself and enjoyed the quiet moment with Kageyama before the chaos that would follow once everyone saw them walk into the cafeteria. </p><p>“Thank you, Tobio.” </p><p>“I’m always here, (Y/N).”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. - 13 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The girls recap what happened the night before and Kuroo decides to have a talk with Kageyama when he and Bokuto visit your nightly practice with Kageyama.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, lovelies! Here is part 13 of the series and I hope you guys enjoyed it! Kind of on the shorter side and also a little bit of a filler chapter, haha. Always thankful for all the interactions with the story :) Comments and feedback are highly appreciated. Then lastly like always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Good work today! We’ll see you at dinner!” </p><p>You waved goodbye to the managers as you made your way back to where the boys were practicing with Shimizu and Yachi. You stretched your arms over your head and let out a groan while your friends chuckled at your reaction. </p><p>“You really did overwork yourself yesterday, huh?” Yachi asked while she tied her jacket around her waist.</p><p>Slumping over, you yawned and nodded. “Umm yeah, I guess so. I didn’t even realize how much I played till we all talked about it over dinner. Yu-nii wouldn’t let me hear the end of it.” </p><p>Your mind flashed back to the night before when the libero rapidly shook your shoulders. He yelled your ear off while the rest of the team laughed at your relationship. It didn’t help that your face was blank while trying to continue on with your meal. You’ve heard it from him all before but you couldn’t help it when you lost track of time. All you wanted to do was peacefully eat your dinner then knock out for the night and yet Nishinoya made it his job to make sure the entire camp heard how reckless you had been. </p><p>“Well, at least something good came out of it though.” Shimizu laughed with a teasing glint in her eyes. </p><p>Your cheeks grew warm as she referred to Kageyama carrying you into the cafeteria and half of the camp ended up freaking out over it. “Hey! You promised you wouldn’t tease anymore.” </p><p>Shimizu smiled and Yachi laughed out loud and patted your shoulders. “It’s nice to see some progress between you two.” </p><p>“He was just being nice.” you huffed. </p><p>“Kageyama isn’t just nice to anyone, y’know,” Shimizu added.</p><p>“I told him that it was okay to just walk side by side though!” </p><p>“And yet he still offered to carry you~” Yachi teased.</p><p>“...It was my knee, okay?” you pouted and pointed to the said body part that was wrapped in KT Tape with a brace covering it. To make sure that you listened to his lecture, Nishinoya took it upon himself to wake up earlier than he typically would to give you his stash of Tiger Balm and an extra case of KT tape in case you run out.</p><p>“Right, whatever you say(Y/N)-chan.” she chuckled and Shimizu added on, “But please take it easy tonight, Noya-san even said you shouldn’t play again until we get back home.” </p><p>“Ugh, whatever. It’s my body not his, I can do whatever I want.” you waved and rolled your eyes as the three of you arrived at the first gymnasium. As much as you appreciated his worrying, you were finally getting the chance to play and work on your skills again.</p><p>“I’ll leave you to it then?” Shimizu asked.</p><p>Yachi nodded as you saluted and the older girl waved goodbye before she made her way towards the second gymnasium to check up on the others who were working on the synchronized attack. When you made your way into the gym that you were assigned to help, Yachi split ways with you at the door and sauntered towards the other court to help with the second-year members while you walked towards your side and waved to Coach Ukai and Kageyama. Picking up the ball that rolled away from missing a water bottle, you gave the setter an encouraging smile when he locked eyes with you. </p><p>“Alright, now that (L/N) is here I can properly watch you.” Coach Ukai smirked and nodded for you to take his place.</p><p>Every time you tossed the ball, Kageyama continued to miss by being off by a little bit. After a couple more tries, the frustration on his face became more evident. You pursed your lips when you noticed his demeanor become tenser and a small scowl could be seen on his face. He cursed underneath his breath when he missed once more and Coach Ukai finally stepped in with some tips to help him. </p><p>“Kageyama, don’t think of the bottle as a target. Actually, visualize it. As much as you can, visualize a spike.”</p><p>You understood where Ukai was coming from: rather than setting at a set point, Kageyama had to remember that his target was moving at different speeds and points of the court. His expression turned thoughtful as Coach Ukai walked back towards the sidelines and stretched his back. </p><p>He suddenly snapped his fingers and pointed at you. “Ah (L/N), before I forget, can you give this to Takeda-sensei? I can take over for a bit until you come back.” </p><p>You walked up to Coach Ukai as he handed you some documents and nodded. Before you took a step towards the door, you couldn’t help but look back at Kageyama who was looking down at the volleyball in his hands. </p><p> “Don’t worry about Kageyama, he’ll be fine.” He reassured you when he noticed that your gaze followed Kageyama while he walked off to the side to get a quick sip of water.</p><p>“Alright if you say so.” You sighed and began to make your way out of the gym. “I’ll be back!” </p><p>“Take care.” “Be safe and hurry back idiot.” </p><p>You laughed at Kageyama’s words and walked your way through the school. Since you had time to yourself, you decided to check on the rest of the team. You peeped in the gym that Shimizu was in to see that she was recording the synchronized attack for the boys to look over after they were done for critiques. On the other side, Nishinoya was practicing his jump with Asahi, and your assumption of where the hyperactive spiker was confirmed. Making your way towards the third gym, you were impressed to see that Tsukishima and Hinata were both very focused on the practice game with Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi. Lev was also added into the mix and your eyes traveled towards the scoreboard and as they finished the first round. You couldn’t control your laughter when your eyes landed on the names of their makeshift teams. All of the heads turned towards your direction and you waved your hands so they wouldn’t pay attention to you. </p><p>“What are you laughing at, (Y/N)-chan?” Bokuto asked. </p><p>You pointed at the names they wrote down and bent over to help catch your breath. “You guys really put your spirit animals as the team names?” </p><p>“Isn’t it cool?” Kuroo smirked as he walked up to you and ruffled your hair. </p><p>“Don’t. Touch. The. Hair. Tetsu.” you groaned and poked him in the stomach as retaliation. </p><p>He laughed and stepped away to give you some space. “Alright, chibi-chan, geeze can’t you let me have some fun?” </p><p>You rolled your eyes and walked over towards Hinata. He smiled at you and laughed when you couldn’t help but ruffle his hair. </p><p>“What are you doing here, (Y/N)-chan?” Hinata asked then gave you a hug.</p><p>“I just wanted to check up on you guys.” you shrugged and waved at the others that gathered around. </p><p>“So how’s it been?” </p><p>“It’s been pretty good, these guys are slowly getting better,” Bokuto answered your question as he pointed towards Karasuno and Nekoma’s first years. </p><p>“Um...We are technically opponents as soon as we’re in a match, right?” Tsukishima asked. “Why are you giving us advice?” He continued before wiping his face with his towel. </p><p>Kuroo put on an angelic smile and raised his hand to put it over his heart. “I’ve always been a nice person.” </p><p>You and Tsukishima gave him blank expressions while Hinata just watched him, not knowing how to act. </p><p>“You don’t have to look at me like that.” Kuroo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I want to make the Battle at the Garbage Dump a reality. Well, it’s practice for me, as well, so don’t sweat the small things.” </p><p>You snickered at his reaction and went up to pinch his cheeks. “Awww look at cute Lil Tetsu-nii trying to act all cool for his juniors.”</p><p>“Get off of me, you brat.” Kuroo groaned and tried to push you away. </p><p>You stuck out your tongue at him and Bokuto slung his arms over the both of them. “Alright now that story time’s over let’s get back to it, yeah?” </p><p>“We’ll catch up after, alright (Y/N)-chan?” </p><p>You nodded in response while the boys gathered on the court and Bokuto gave her a cheeky smile. “I’m looking forward to the ramen this weekend!” </p><p>You gulped and glared at Kuroo who was laughing. “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TELL HIM AT THE END YOU IDIOT!”</p><p>Flipping your childhood friends off, you rubbed your temples as you stormed out of the gym and shook your head at their antics. <em>‘They are literally going to make me go broke this weekend with how huge their appetites are.’</em></p><hr/><p>“Alright, here’s the next one!” you called out.</p><p>Kageyama took in a deep breath and zoned in on his focus. Progress was finally being made after practicing the drills all throughout the week. He was glad that everything was settling into his muscle memory. Trying to imagine where Hinata would appear, Kageyama tossed the ball to the bottle furthest away from him. You gasped while you watched the ball spiral towards the designated bottle and fall right on top of it. With a proud smile, you jumped excitedly and clapped your hands. Ever since you returned back to the gym, Kageyama’s focus was sharper than ever and his progress skyrocketed within the next hour of practicing. He smirked and you noticed the new and fiery look in his eyes.</p><p>“Toss me one more!” </p><p>Like previous sessions, you two continued to practice late into the night for him to really get it into his body. It was down to the littlest details and he even asked you try and spike some with Ukai tossing a couple of balls to make the exercise even more effective. For the most part, Kageyama was in his own world to make sure that he got his sets down. When Ukai left you to your own devices, you would give him critiques here and there to make sure that his accuracy remained the same. For extra reassurance, you made it a thing that if he couldn’t get the full line five times in a row, then Kageyama would have to restart until he got it right. You admired his determination and couldn’t wait to see how things played out. </p><p>At some point, Kuroo and Bokuto had stopped by to check up on you after they wrapped up their own practice. You caught up with them during one of your breaks and Kageyama would glance over at you with them every once in a while. Kuroo caught on to his behavior and smirked. While you were complaining about how your dad kept texting how excited he was for you staying over the weekend to Bokuto, Kuroo made his way over to the setter and nodded towards their little setup. </p><p>“So how’s it going with you guys?” he asked and sat next to Kageyama. </p><p>“It’s going good, I almost have it down.” </p><p>“Nah kid, I mean how’s your progress with chibi-chan.”</p><p>“Huh?” </p><p>Kuroo rolled his eyes and nodded his head at you who was being chased around by Bokuto. The squeals and laughter from the two of you echoed through the gym and Kuroo chuckled to the crazy energy Bokuto always managed to rub off on you.</p><p>“Based on last night’s events, one can only assume that you both have a thing for each other.” </p><p>“I do not,” Kageyama grumbled as he looked to the side and aggressively chugged his water. </p><p>Kuroo laughed at the younger boy’s reaction and patted his shoulder. “You make it clear as day, but (Y/N) on the other hand, she’d need you to actually spell it out for her.” </p><p>“We’re not dating and I don’t think she’d go for me anyway,” he replied back. </p><p>“Oh trust me, she’d totally go for you. She looks at you and acts differently when you’re together. I’ve known her long enough with Bokuto and I’m pretty sure Nishinoya can see that she has a crush on you.” </p><p>“You guys are just teasing us.”</p><p>“Usually I’d say yes, but for right now, I’m trying to help you out.” </p><p>Kageyama blinked and turned to look at Kuroo who had a soft smile on his face, his eyes locked on you. “Why are you helping me?” </p><p>Without taking his eyes off of you, Kuroo simply said, “Because (Y/N) deserves the world and I’ve never seen her like that. She’s the little sister I’ve always wanted, y’know? It’s the same for Bokuto too. She’s helped us in so many ways and we’ve grown protective over her.” </p><p>Kageyama’s eyes widened and Kuroo looked back with a small smirk. “You’re so easy to read, kid. We just want her to be happy after all that she’s been through. As you can see, (Y/N) is passionate about anything she puts her mind to whether it’s volleyball or friendships. Relationship-wise, she tends to wear her heart on her sleeve which doesn’t always have a happy ending.  Over the years, we’ve seen her during her puppy love phase and it crushed Bokuto and me to see her so dejected when her previous crushes turned her down.”</p><p>“Oh…” </p><p>“Bokuto always says she’s one in a million. I’d have to agree because both of us always wanted to keep her as our little gem.” Kageyama couldn’t help but notice the way that Kuroo’s facial expression softened while they watched you jump onto Bokuto’s back and spun you around. “If you are actually serious about her, I’d say not to wait too long to do something about it though, because you never know who could swoop in and try to whisk her off of her feet,” Kuroo added with a pointed look. </p><p>Kageyama hummed in response as you and Bokuto waved them over. His mind flashed back towards the previous days in the week and the comments that he overheard other players saying about you. Just like how they’ve fawned over Shimizu, now that you and Yachi were about of the team, it was new eye candy for the other volleyball players to admire. He’s seen some try to flirt with you during the dead time at the camp and he couldn’t help the burning sensation in his chest. Every time he came across moments like that, all he wanted to do was take you away so all of your attention was on him. </p><p>Kuroo sighed and pushed himself up before offering his hand to Kageyama. He took it silently and before they walked towards the center of the court, Kuroo tightened his grip on his hand and said, “If you hurt her, you don’t only have to go through Nishinoya and the others on your team. Best believe you’ll find me and Bokuto standing on your doorstep ready to pummel you when you least expect it, got it, <em>King</em>?” </p><p>Kageyama gulped when he saw the dangerous glint in Kuroo’s eyes and nodded. Happy with his response, Kuroo’s demeanor immediately relaxed, and laughed while slinging his arm over his shoulders. </p><p>“Tetsu-nii I swear to Kami if you’re bullying Tobio I’m gonna kill you!” you threatened when you managed to catch a glimpse of Kageyama’s reaction at the end of their conversation.</p><p>“Nah we were just bro bonding, chibi-chan.” He responded. </p><p>Kageyama met your gaze that fell upon him and you gave him a helpless smile. “Sorry for that one, he doesn’t know when to stop sometimes.” </p><p>“No worries, he was stating the truth, (Y/N),” Kageyama said. </p><p>“That’s good, I’m glad to see the people that I care about getting along.” you smiled brightly. </p><p>“Don’t worry, Kags and I will have our bro bonding soon too!” Bokuto added and crossed his arms, a deadly smile on his face. </p><p>“Oof, if you thought I was bad, wait until you talk to Bokuto,” Kuroo murmured before brushing past Kageyama and walking towards the entrance. </p><p>Bokuto waved at you two before jogging to keep up with Kuroo who lazily waved goodbye. You only shook your head in amusement at their actions before turning back to Kageyama and patted his shoulder.</p><p>“Ready?” </p><p>Kageyama hummed in agreement as his mind was drifted away with all the new information Kuroo had told him. <em>‘Was it that obvious to everyone?’ </em>He looked back to you who had walked off to gather some stray volleyballs near the basket. <em>‘I need to clear my mind, I don’t think I can focus anymore…’ </em></p><p>He cleared his throat and you whirled around to look at him. “I think we should end here tonight.” </p><p>“Are you sure? I can still go for another thirty minutes or so.” You asked with a raised eyebrow and played with the volleyball in your hands. </p><p>Kageyama nodded and said, “My body is already cooled down and I guess time passed quickly when Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san were here. I feel like I’m at a good place with the sets.” </p><p>He watched as you understandingly nodded and gave him another smile. “Sounds good.” </p><p>“I’ll walk you to the room after.” he simply said as he walked up to you and began to push the volleyball cart towards the storage room.</p><p>“You don’t have to Tobio.” you insisted while you walked behind him.</p><p>“I don’t want you to get lost, shorty.” </p><p>“I won’t get lost, milk boy. It's literally a short walk past the dining hall then around the faculty building.” </p><p>“Noya-san would kill me if he found out that I let you walk alone, it’s too dark out.” </p><p>“Are you actually being a gentleman?” you teased as he pushed the cart inside the storage room.</p><p>You leaned against the wall while he walked back out and locked its door. He rolled his eyes and walked towards the bench that had both of your belongings.</p><p>“Can you just let me be nice to you?” he muttered and wordlessly slung your duffel bag over his shoulder. </p><p>“Nah, it’s fun to tease you.” you laughed and tried to take your bag from him.</p><p>Kageyama easily dodged your arm and couldn’t help but flick your forehead in response. </p><p>“...idiot,” he muttered before slipping his hands into his pockets and walked out of the gym. </p><p>“I know.” </p><p>“Are you coming or not? You can just sleep here if you want slowpoke.” Kageyama called out as he looked over his shoulder to see you closing the doors of the gym. </p><p>“Whatever, blueberry,” you responded and stuck your tongue out at him. </p><p>Kageyama rolled his eyes and continued to lead the way towards the building you were staying at. As you slightly lagged behind him, you admired the way that he looked from behind. His back was relaxed rather than tensed as if he carried the whole weight of the team. There was sort of a serene look on his face now that things were working in his favor. It was nice knowing that he trusted you enough to show you this relaxed side of him outside of practice time. He looked a little more vulnerable than usual and it made you happy that he was comfortable with you. Your eyes glanced at your duffle that was hanging from his shoulder with his on the other one. You bit your thumb to stop the smile that was threatening to come out because of the sweet gesture. <em>‘Can he get any cuter?’ </em>you thought to yourself as you made your way to his side. Kageyama clicked his tongue when you finally walked side by side and you laughed. This was your time together and no one was able to take that away from you two. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. - 14 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It’s the final day of Karasuno’s training camp in Tokyo and the boys find out about the barbecue that will happen once they are all finished. Sugawara offers Kageyama some help before their last practice game and you finally get to see the quick that you’ve been dying to see in person. Then once the barbecue is in full swing, you catch up with your childhood friends and Kageyama finally asks you a question.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It’s Kageyama’s birthday today!! In honor of it being his special day today, it’s going to be a double update! So lookout for the next part that will be uploaded right after this one is posted. Always thankful for all the interactions with the story :) Comments and feedback are highly appreciated. Then lastly like always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You yawned tiredly as you sluggishly made your way towards the gym. It was the final day of the camp and Shimizu was kind enough to let you sleep in a little longer. After scolding you for letting practice go up to three in the morning, you were able to have a bit of a later start than everyone else. You purse your lips and look down at the attire you were sporting: the bottom of your white Karasuno shirt was tucked into your sports bra and it was matched with an old pair of Nishinoya’s gym shorts that no longer fit him. You shrugged and hoped that the faculty wouldn’t say anything because your laundry still wasn’t done and it was too long of a walk to go back to the room to change. It was supposed to be the hottest day of the week and you had already gone through all of the thinnest shirts you packed. Everyone on the team was aware of your sensitivity to temperature and so you dressed in a way to keep your body temperature as cool as possible. And the only thing that motivated you to get up that morning was the fact that one of Shinzen’s managers mentioned that the faculty was going to surprise the boys with a barbecue as a reward. </p><p><em>‘That is going to be a war for meat, but no one’s going to get in the way of me and precious meat.’ </em>you thought to yourself and thought about all of the different ways you’d be able to get your fair share of food later that day.</p><p>After walking up the stairs, you went through the netted covering that keeps bugs out of the gym and approached the team. Your face deadpanned when your eyes landed on the expressions of the boys. It was assumed that their losing streak throughout the week had continued with their first set of practice matches. The theory was proved right when you looked at the scoreboard and quickly added it to the charts in your notebook that you had quickly brought out from your bag. While making your way to where Yachi and Shimizu were standing, you skimmed through the statistics that were always summarized at the end of the day. Despite only having three wins, their progress was steadily increasing the more they went up against the other teams. The aura that the boys carried had some sort of strange dignity around them and you simply shrugged. Sometimes the boys were weird, but that’s what made them a joy to be around. Throughout the camp, a lot of people said that it’s what differentiated Karasuno from other teams and it wasn’t because they were the Fallen Crows anymore. Once you arrived at your team corner, the boys had also gathered up after finishing their dives. It was decided the night before that the punishment would be moved to dives so no one would be overheated by running up the hill. You gave them a sympathetic smile while giving them their bottles. Their frustration was evident on their faces and you bit your lip, trying to come up with something to say to them. Thankfully, Daichi stepped in and got their attention.</p><p>“You guys need to keep doing your best and survive.” </p><p>Everyone looked at him in surprise with how stern his tone was. </p><p>“Daichi-san?” Tanaka asked. </p><p>You facepalmed while listening to what Daichi said next with a good feeling about what he found out. “I just happened to hear this, and I was going to keep it quiet…” </p><p>
  <em>‘Oh dear, once they find out about the meat, it’s going to be utter chaos. But on the bright side…maybe this will serve as a good motivator for them.’</em>
</p><p>“Wh-What is it?!” Tanaka pestered. </p><p>With a burning look on his face, Daichi said, “When all of these practice matches are over…Apparently, the coaches are going to treat us to a barbecue.” </p><p>“Bar..be…cue?!” Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata exclaimed. </p><p>You couldn’t resist and quickly took out your Polaroid to capture their stunned faces. Laughing to yourself, it still surprised you how simple it was to get the boys riled up once more. The boys hurriedly jumped up from their slumped positions on the floor and began to do a silly dance that was led by Tanaka. </p><p>“Meaty meat, meat, meaty meat!” He chanted as they rotated their arms in a chugging motion and swayed in a circular motion in a lunge position. </p><p>You choked on your laughter when you realized that the boys were slightly drooling and Kageyama was trying to dance along with them. </p><p>“Pet ‘em together, you get meat and meat!” Hinata continued. </p><p>Without missing a beat, you took out your phone to record their hilarious antics and couldn’t stop laughing. The other teams were looking at them weirdly and you just couldn’t believe how simple-minded these boys could be. <em>‘Boys…they can be so easy to please sometimes.’ </em></p><p>“Meaty, meat! Hooray for meat! Energy times a hundred! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” They continued to cheer. </p><p>“Alright, alright! We get it, you guys need to calm down.” You exclaimed in between catching your breath from laughing so hard.</p><p>“(Y/N) you gotta join in- wait what are you wearing?!” Nishinoya started but ended up screaming in horror, pointing at your outfit. </p><p>You looked down at the clothes and shrugged then put your hands on your hips. Playfully glaring at him, you said, “These were the only clothes I had, got a problem with that?” </p><p>“I don’t but I don’t like how all the other guys are staring at you.” Nishinoya pouted. </p><p>“You look great and it shows off your fitness. Especially when you wear your hair in a bun, but don’t forget there are all these guys around.” Tanaka said and nodded towards a couple of players from Ubugawa ogling at you. </p><p>You laughed while waving your hand dismissively and settled on the bench. “Let them stare, I don’t care. I’m comfy and if they do anything uncomfortable then you two can go beat them up for me.” </p><p>“You look amazing!” Yachi smiled and joined you on the bench with her legs stretched out. “I wish I could pull something off like that, but I don’t think I could.” </p><p>You immediately slung an arm over her shoulders and gave her an encouraging smile, “You will look great in anything Yachi-chan.” With a wink, you pinched her cheek and said, “All you need to know is how to style it. I can help you!” </p><p>“(Y/N)-chan when did you become so cool?!” Nishinoya and Tanaka cried as they wiped away pretend tears. </p><p>Meanwhile, Hinata nudged Kageyama in the stomach and laughed. “You’re staring too, Kageyama.” </p><p>“Shut up, boke.” </p><p>He frowned slightly and Kuroo’s words from the night before echoed in his mind. Surveying the gym, any time that a player passed by their corner, they always glanced over in your direction. His eyes searched for you and you had approached the teachers. You were currently discussing their different plays and line ups with Coach Ukai. Before he caught himself, his eyes were already looking over your feature. He admired the way your stray hairs delicately framed your face and then how you confidently held yourself made his stomach flutter. Your natural beauty was easy to catch one’s eye and when you smiled, <em>Oh god</em>, anyone could melt at the sight of it. The aura around you was easily approachable but that’s what made you so charismatic. He could understand why others couldn’t help but stare. The grip on the volleyball in his hands slightly tightened when his mind flashed back to all of the lingering stares directed towards you. At that moment, all he wanted to do was make sure no other guy got in his way. </p><p>“Oi, you’re glaring too much. You’re scaring away the other players.” </p><p>Kageyama jumped and realized that Hinata had disappeared from his side and Sugawara stood behind him. “You’re too cute when you get like that Kageyama-kun.”</p><p>“It’s really nothing,” he muttered and focused his attention towards the court. </p><p>“You say that, but your actions say otherwise. If you ever need help on what to do, let me know. If there’s anyone else that she talks to on the team, it’s me. I’ve helped her with a lot of the small fights she’s had with Noya-kun and also know her like a daughter.” </p><p>“Really?” </p><p>Sugawara nodded, giving him a cheeky smile. He patted his shoulder and pointed to himself. “Don’t worry, I got you whenever you need me.” Then he also began to stare down at a couple of guys that started checking her out. “Thank you for also keeping an eye on her for all of us.” </p><p>“It’s no problem, senpai.” </p><p>“Tobio! Koushi!” The two turned around and you approached them with their water bottles. </p><p>“Thanks, (Y/N)-chan. I’m gonna go over to Asahi and Daichi, we’re gonna go over the plays one more time.” Sugawara replied and took his bottle from your grasp.</p><p>You nodded and he patted your head before walking away. Kageyama took the bottle and tilted it towards you in thanks before taking a sip. </p><p>“I hope you guys will be okay today. I want to see that new quick of yours.” </p><p>“Me too.” </p><p>“Kageyama!” Hinata called as he walked up to the two of you. </p><p>Kageyama turned around and grunted in response. Hinata looked at him straight in the eyes and said, “I want to hurry up and hit that falling toss!” </p><p>There was a pause as you, along with the rest of the team, looked at them in hopes another argument won’t break out. Kageyama sighed and replied, “Don’t rush. As long as I’m missing the tosses, it won’t be any practice for you.” </p><p>You only shook your head when it finally came to you that all the yelling Kageyama did at Hinata was actually his own way of showing his effort in trying to fix their problem. <em>‘Is this how guys feel when they don’t understand how girls work out their problems with each other? Then again, it could just be Tobio’s way of showing he cares.’</em></p><p>“I was thinking about this yesterday too, but you’re really creepy when you worry about others.” Hinata huffed. “I get it, but hurry up with those tosses! I want to hit them!” </p><p>Kageyama couldn’t hold his irritation in much longer and hit Hinata away from him. “That’s why I’m practicing so hard, you dumbass!”</p><p>“Hey!” Hinata pouted.</p><p>You comfortingly patted his shoulder as he tried to catch his breath. “There, there. You did a great job at trying.” </p><p>He grunted and simply walked towards the court. “Whatever.” </p><p>“Well, see you later, (Y/N)-chan!” Hinata brightly smiled and waved before chasing after Kageyama.</p><p>
  <em>‘Of course, the two of them actually believed in each other. They just have their own way of showing their support towards the other. Those two idiots…’ </em>
</p><p>Coach Ukai called over for everyone to gather up and it was finally time for them to face Fukurodani. You flipped through the pages of your notebook that had all of the logistics you wrote down for every player on the team. Shimizu and Yachi were sitting on either side of you while the referee blew the whistle. As you looked through each player’s assigned page, you were glad to see that with all the info you and the girls gathered, the boys were on a steady rise. With the game about to start, you clenched onto your notebook with a determined look on your face. <em>‘Let’s fly, boys!’</em></p><hr/><p>You bit your lip as you watched the score. This was one of their closest games and Bokuto had just swiped their tallest blockers with a cut shot. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself at Bokuto’s gleeful expression. He was always so full of life and such a cinnamon roll, especially when looking for compliments. Bokuto could be so easy to please and you chuckled at the way Akaashi learned to handle his vibrant personality with short but meaningful or even sarcastic replies. </p><p>“A faint?!” Bokuto exclaimed as Hinata managed to do it and gain a point for Karasuno. </p><p>You chuckled and remembered that Hinata mentioned something about learning a special move from him the night before. <em>‘Always leave it up to Ko-kun to be an airhead sometimes, but it’s all a part of his good character.’ </em>It was amusing to see him get scolded by someone else that wasn’t you and mentally vouched for the struggle Akaashi was going through with the owl looking, player. You snickered at Kageyama’s flustered expression since Hinata was known to go by feeling rather than thinking all the way through. Now things were going to get picked up between both teams since Bokuto got riled up by his special move being used against him. </p><p>As the match continued, you mentally took note of how well the boys were doing. It looked like they were actually having a lot more fun, now with all that they’ve practiced settling into their bodies. Asahi’s been trying his jump serves, Nishinoya fumbled on his set toss, and sometimes their synchro-attack didn’t go through. You even realized that Kageyama is the most calm he’s been throughout the camp. The look in his eyes was more focused and it seemed as if he was orchestrating what would be their next step. You related to the feeling that he had, it was one of the best to be so in your zone that everything else blurs around you. Kageyama was at the top of his game and it was a sight you liked to admire from the sidelines. It was the way that he’d smirk to himself whenever the team gained a point that had you melting. You heard about his frosty attitude towards the team in the beginning from Nishinoya one night and seeing how the boys have changed him made your heart warm. Although he was still working on his words, it was always all through his action that you’d be able to see his sincerity with whatever he’s doing. </p><p>You were pulled out of your thoughts as you watched Kageyama set the ball towards Hinata. <em>‘Are they?!’</em> And without a chance to finish your thought, the ball stopped right at Hinata for him to successfully spike it. The court was silent for a bit as everyone tried to register the quick attack they just did. Everyone was snapped out of their daze from the referee’s whistle and you were the first one to break the silence. </p><p>“Shoyo! Tobio! You guys finally did it!” you cheered. </p><p>They looked at you before looking at each other with wide eyes and began to excitedly gasp. All of their hard work finally paid off against the strongest team there. You proudly smiled at them as they continued to freak out and laughed once Kageyama began to scold him. </p><p>“You’ve got to be kidding me! If you’re gonna do that, let me know sooner!” </p><p>“I just felt like we could pull it off! Didn’t you?!” Hinata gawked. </p><p>It was nice to finally see the boys back to normal and that they finally tied the score. It was their chance to turn the tables and you let out a happy sigh. Hinata was praising Kageyama and the expression that was on the boy’s face was indescribable. <em>‘I guess Tobio isn’t used to Shoyo’s compliments, hehe! He looks like he stopped functioning.’</em> You couldn’t contain your excitement anymore and began to cheer, jumping up and down. </p><p>“Uwah! You did it! You did it! Nice kill, Shoyo! Tobio! I knew you guys could do it!” </p><p>“O-Oi you shouldn’t be jumping like that! What about your knee?!” “Should you really be doing that right now, (Y/N)-chan?!” Kageyama and Hinata exclaimed.</p><p>You pouted at their scolding but ultimately gave them your widest smile with your dimple showing. “You guys deserve it!” </p><p>Hinata and Kageyama only shook their heads at you before nodding in thanks, holding out their fists in your direction. You mimicked a fist bump towards them before they turned their attention back to the match.<em> ‘Finally, after three weeks…Ever since their fight at Karasuno, Shoyo and Tobio stopped talking to each other they’re back in the groove. They’ve worked so hard on improving and now, the weird attack duo is finally back in action!’</em></p><p>Their positive attitudes got the rest of the boys riled up and you laughed once you heard Bokuto yell, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Don’t get cocky, you guys! Hey! Hey! Hey!” </p><p>“It’s nice to see them back to normal, right?” Shimizu asked as you relaxed. </p><p>You nodded and leaned forward to continue taking notes as the match resumed. “I can finally relax around those two. It was like walking on eggshells whenever we were all together at school!” </p><p>Shimizu patted your knee as she got up to prepare their towels and asked Yachi to accompany her. She gave you a warm smile and said to you before walking away, “Good job, (Y/N)-chan. You’ve worked hard as well.” </p><hr/><p>You waved to a couple of players that greeted you while picking up a tray of onigiri. The barbecue was in full swing and you let out a sigh of relief. It was finally time for everyone to take a breather from all their training and you were glad that it was time to rest. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Bokuto and decided to check on him. You poked his back to get his attention and sighed when you didn’t get any response from him. Following his gaze, he was mesmerized by the different meats that were being grilled and you laughed. He was muttering all the types of meat he’d go for and you nudged him in the stomach. </p><p>“Ack, wh- Oh! (Y/N)-chan!” he greeted you before giving you a big hug. </p><p>“Did you see me on the court? Wasn’t I amazing?” he excitedly asked. </p><p>You laughed and nodded as you shifted the weight of the tray onto your hip. He happily jumped, waiting for you to reply and you said, “I’m glad you were able to get in some straights and cut shots this time. Not only just one or the other. You were an amazing ace, like always, Ko-chan.” </p><p>He pouted and crossed his arms. “It’s not my fault if I can’t do both sometimes. When you’re in the moment, it’s hard to think about all the different options here and there. So, I just do what my body’s used to.” </p><p>“Yeah, Yeah I know~ This is why you’re one of the top players here.” </p><p>He tilted his head back and laughed, enjoying being praised by one of his favorite people. “Just wait until the next tournament, I’ll show you how much better I’ll be by then.” </p><p>“I’ll hold your word to it then.” you smiled and patted his arm as Hinata called him. </p><p>The coaches called for the boys to gather up and you chuckled as you set the tray on the table that had the rest of the food set up. You leaned against the table after they all organized the tables for the boys and shook your head at all their hungry expressions. One of the managers walked up to you and said, “You should try and get some food now before the boys dig in. Once they’re in it, it’s going to be a war for meat.” </p><p>You waved it away and said, “I’ll be fine, I can easily steal some off of Yu-nii’s plate.” </p><p>“And here we go…” Shimizu muttered as the coaches wrapped up their speeches and finally let them go at it. </p><p>It was utter chaos as the boys ravaged the meat and it was the funniest scene you ever saw to exist. <em>‘Leave it up to boys and meat to see their natural instincts come out…But it’s also nice to see their comradery show after spending an entire week together when there’s no competition.’</em></p><p>You snickered when you neared Nekoma’s grill where Kuroo and a teammate were talking. You watched as Bokuto snuck up behind Kuroo and snatched most of the meat that was grilling and onto his plate. Rolling your eyes as Kuroo screamed after him, you simply snatched Bokuto’s plate as he ran past you. </p><p>“Hey! Bokuto, you bastard! Don’t steal my meat, you jerk!” </p><p>“What the fu- (Y/N)-chan you’re so mean!” Bokuto whined as Kuroo caught the back of his shirt. </p><p>Smiling cheekily, you walked up to Kuroo and high-fived each other. Kuroo held out his plate and you gave him half of what was originally Bokuto’s plate. Bokuto crossed his arms when you began to dig into the meat that was leftover.</p><p>“You’re lucky I love you, kiddo.” </p><p>You laughed and held one up with your chopsticks. “Here you big baby.” </p><p>Bokuto smiled widely as he ate the piece of meat you fed him. “Mmm~ food tastes a lot better after being fed by you, (Y/N)-chan! It feels as if my energy has been revived by a million!” </p><p>“That’s not fair, what about me? C’mon you know I’m your favorite out of us two.” Kuroo frowned and motioned for you to feed him too. </p><p>You rolled your eyes and shoved a piece of meat into his mouth. “There you go, are you happy now?” </p><p>He grinned while chewing and gave you two thumbs up. “Bokuto was right, it does taste better when you feed it to us.” </p><p>“(Y/N)-CHAN!!” Nishinoya roared and your eyes widened when you felt Nishinoya jump on your back. </p><p>“Y-Yu-nii?!” you exclaimed and slightly choked on the food you were eating. </p><p>You pounded your chest to clear up whatever was clogging your throat and one of the Nekoma members passed you a water cup. You nodded in thanks and immediately chugged all of the water.</p><p>“Ah, great job you guys!” Nishinoya casually greeted Kuroo and Bokuto. </p><p>“Thanks!” they replied before getting into their own conversation. </p><p>You turned around once Nishinoya jumped off of you and crossed your arms. “You almost got me killed, you idiot. What do you want, Yu-nii?” </p><p>“You need to stay near me, Ryu, and Yamamoto. All of these guys are going to try and hit on you, Yachi-san or Kiyoko-san!” </p><p>You laughed as he exaggeratedly pointed at a couple of members from Fukurodani that was looking your way. They gulped and you gave them a small smile before slapping the back of Nishinoya’s head. He winced and pouted. “What was that for?!” </p><p>“You don’t need to worry about me, Yu-nii. If anything I have Tetsu-nii and Ko-nii here. I’m also gonna be checking up on the others soon, so shouldn’t all your energy be towards Kiyoko-san instead of splitting up?” </p><p>His eyes widened in realization and he moved his gaze from you to the two guys behind you. He determinedly walked up to them and slapped them on their shoulders. </p><p>“Please take care of her while I go protect Kiyoko-san.” Nishinoya simply said before catching up to Tanaka and Yamamoto who were mad dogging any guy that tried to go up to Shimizu. </p><p>“He’s protective, isn’t he?” Kuroo smirked. </p><p>“But he is right though if anything does happen to you, let us know.” Bokuto added “Do you know how many comments I had to try and block out from my team? We know you’re gorgeous and everything but it’s weird hearing it from people I know.”</p><p>You laughed at Kuroo who fake gagged and Bokuto shuddered. The raven-haired captain patted the pouty ace’s shoulders in sympathy. </p><p>“I totally feel you, bro. Some of the second years and most definitely my first years have you in their top 10.” Kuroo sighed. “If any of these guys at the camp gets too pushy, you know where to find us.”</p><p>“Yeah I know, don’t worry.” You smiled before walking off to find a certain setter. </p><p>After being sidetracked with helping Yachi being overwhelmed with the guys that kept crowding her, you found Kageyama eating on the steps of the gym and happily sat down next to him. Setting the plate of food on your lap, you leaned back with your hands supporting you and enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere. </p><p>“It feels good to finally breathe, don’t you think?” </p><p>He choked on his food and you hurriedly offered water from the cup you picked up on the way over. Kageyama nodded in thanks as he chugged it and blushed when he heard your laughter next to him. </p><p>“Didn’t you notice I was here?” </p><p>“…No, I was too busy eating.” </p><p>You laughed at his simple-mindedness and nibbled on a piece of grilled zucchini. “Well, I asked if you felt good to finally breathe after an intense week.” </p><p>“Mmm..more or less. I still wish we beat Fukurodani though.” </p><p>You hummed and set your plate beside you and looked up at the sky. “You’ll beat them next time, I know it.” </p><p>“I hope you’re right, shorty.” He sighed after finishing up the last of his food. </p><p>“Don’t worry milk boy, you guys will make it to nationals,” you smirked.</p><p>“What are you, our lucky charm or something?” he snorted.</p><p>You shrugged and said, “Maybe.” </p><p>“I just can’t wait to be back in my own bed.” Kageyama yawned as he felt the food coma slowly taking over his body. “Speaking of which, are we sitting together again, or did you want to sit next to Noya-senpai?” </p><p>You bit your lip and refrained from blushing at Kageyama’s casual question. The two of you ended up sitting together once again on the way to the camp and now that it was ending, you didn’t expect him to think that you had become his bus buddy. If only you weren’t staying with your dad to make the commute easier on you, you would’ve said yes. Kageyama noticed that you didn’t reply right away and a part of him dropped into his stomach realizing what he just told you. </p><p>
  <em>‘Oh no, did I say something too straightforward?’ </em>
</p><p>You sighed and mentally cursed your dad for planning that weekend for your stay. If only you were going back with them then you could have spent more time with Kageyama. You gave him a small smile and said, “I need to rain check. I’m…staying here for the weekend. I-I’ll be taking the train to my dad’s place once we’re all done here. Let me know how to make it up to you.” </p><p>Kageyama’s eyes widened and it was his turn to look at the sky. If it was one thing that he learned from all the advice within the past week, it was to take his chance. There was just something in him that screamed it was the right time to say something about whatever was between you two. Maybe it was because right before you had joined him, Sugawara was helping him come up with ideas on how to move forward and see what happened. And with the way you responded to him, it was the perfect gateway to ask you. He took in a deep breath with his heart racing. It was scary doing all of this. Volleyball was all that he cared about and once you came into the picture, you were all he ever thought about. Suddenly his words were stuck in his throat and you were patiently waiting for him to say something with your head tilted to the side. He shook his head to get rid of any doubts and slapped the back of his head to get it together. Kageyama finally came up with something to say and took in a sharp breath.</p><p>
  <em>‘Screw it, let’s just get straight to the point.’</em>
</p><p>Trying to keep his cool he took another deep breath and imitated your position with his hands behind him, supporting his weight as he leaned back. Kageyama looked at you from the corner of his eye and said, “Then go on a date with me.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. - 15 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You finally have lunch with Kuroo and Bokuto where you catch them up with the night before. They comment throughout your story and as they walk you to Homura’s apartment to catch up with your girls, Daichi calls you out of nowhere. The call leads you to the girls’ gym at Karasuno after the weekend ends and a new opportunity awaits.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>DOUBLE UPDATE! Go back to the previous if you haven’t read that part already! It’s Kageyama’s birthday today!! In honor of it being his special day today, it’s going to be a double update! Always thankful for all the interactions with the story :) Comments and feedback are highly appreciated. Then lastly like always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The bustling streets of Tokyo were filled with people as the lunch hour began. You fastened your pace as you looked down at your phone and realized how late you were running. <em>‘God damn it, I didn’t realize how much time passed!’</em> With hurried apologies directed towards the strangers you accidentally bumped into, you ran the final block towards your destination. <b><br/></b></p><p>“There she is!” Bokuto exclaimed once he caught sight of you getting through the crowd that was walking at the intersection the three of you guys planned to meet at. </p><p>“Sorry I’m late!” you gasped and tried to calm down your breathing.</p><p>“No worries, honestly we were running a bit late too so we just met up about five minutes ago,” Kuroo said as he ruffled your hair. </p><p>“It’s surprising that you were the last one here though.” Bokuto hummed in thought. </p><p>“What kept you?” Kuroo asked as the three of you walked towards the local ramen spot that you always went to. </p><p>“Ah, well…” You sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of your neck while recapping your morning. </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>“(Y/N)-chan~” your dad called out as he opened the door to your room. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>He found your figure sprawled out in your bed with your laptop screen open. Two windows were open where one looked like a video of one of your older games and the other was one your father was confused about. There was another slumped figure who was hugging a pillow, the person’s back facing the camera. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>With a shrug, he had assumed that you and a friend were going over some of your previous plays in volleyball. While eating dinner, you had caught up with him about your time at Karasuno. He was glad to see that you were reverting back to your old self and that you were seriously thinking about volleyball again. His heart broke every time he saw the frustrated look on your face whenever your injury or what your other teammates were up to. He had tried many times to get you back into the sport by having you be his helper on the weekend practices he had with his neighborhood association. But with how stubborn you were with your refusal, he assumed it was because you weren’t ready yet. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>“(Y/N-chan, wake up or else you’re going to be late.” your father gently said and shook your figure. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>With a groan, you tiredly sat up with one hand supporting your body weight and the other rubbing the sleep away. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>“…Dad? …What’re you doing in here?” you murmured with your eyes still closed. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>“Well, it’s already 11:30 and I remember telling me that you were going to meet up with Tetsurou-kun and Ko-kun at noon. You still need to get ready and catch the bus in order to meet up with them.” He reminded and then laughed to himself when your body straightened up. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Your head whipped to your bedside table where your alarm clock showed the time your father had just told you. With a groan, you fumbled around for your phone to send them a text that you were going to be late. Your dad patted your head before making his way out of your room. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>“Don’t be late for dinner, alright? And send my greetings to them. I’ll be going over to the gym now!” </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>“Osu! I’ll keep you updated!” You replied back while hurriedly typing on your phone. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>The rustling of sheets from your computer caught your attention and your eyes widened. ‘There’s no way…’ you thought to yourself and grabbed your laptop. With a small gasp, you realized that Kageyama had stayed on the Skype call with you all night and he had just rolled back over, his relaxed face now on the screen. Heat crept back on your cheeks as you remembered that he had asked you on a date right as the lunch ended and everyone had to go back to their respective buildings to pack up their stuff. </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>“Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT!” Bokuto interrupted your story after you placed your orders and were now waiting for all the food to be brought to you. </p><p>“He asked you on a date?!” he exclaimed with his jaw dropped and eyes wide. </p><p>Kuroo laughed with his head tilted back and then crossed his arms before resting them on the table. He looked at you with a smirk and said, “I didn’t think the kid was going to do it this soon.” </p><p>“Honestly though, Kageyama-san doesn’t look like the smooth type. I thought he was going to be more awkward with it.” Bokuto added. </p><p>You shrugged and said, “I thought so too, but I guess the timing was just right?” </p><p>“I bet you the kid was sad that you guys didn’t get your time together on the bus,” Kuroo commented before taking a sip of his water. </p><p>“Well we did manage to make up for it.” you shrugged and played with your napkin. </p><p>“You mean that Skype call, right?” Bokuto asked as he looked at you expectantly with an excited smile. </p><p>“Yup, so as I was saying…” </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>You facepalmed when everything finally connected together: while letting him see some of your old games, you got so caught up with his teasing and surprised remarks that you forgot to set an alarm to get ready. Biting the tip of your thumb, you got up from the bed and began to throw together an outfit while you tried to remember the last thing you guys were talking about. Your eyes shifted back to your screen where Kageyama was still soundly sleeping and then to the finished video that you had screen-shared with him. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>“That’s right…” you muttered to yourself in realization. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Kageyama had asked if it was okay to see your final game and instead of feeling anxious about it, you felt like it was time for you to watch back on it as well. It was almost an entire year since it last happened and it was time for you to get some closure with what happened. As the two of you watched the game, you couldn’t help but share small tidbits about your childhood with him. In turn, he shared some stuff about his journey with volleyball as well. And while the game continued to play, the conversation between the two of you flowed so easily. You even ended up telling him how you, Homura, and Rui became friends.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>When the moment came on to the screen, you couldn’t help but wince at the sight of it. Kageyama did as well and you had to pause it for a moment. He glanced at you through the camera and noticed the way you bit your lip with your hands gripping the pillow you were hugging. He said that it was okay to stop there but you shook your head. You wanted to get through the entire game and he respected that. As the moment flashed through the screen, Kageyama kept you distracted by comparing it to the now. He kept making comments saying that if you went against them now, you would immediately defeat them. Or that if the injury didn’t happen then you wouldn’t have gone to Karasuno. He shyly finished it off by implying that you wouldn’t have gotten to meet him. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Once the game ended, Kageyama checked in with your overall being. You shared how you felt that it was proper closure and thanked him for helping you get out of your thoughts. He said it wasn’t a problem and that he wanted you to know that he knew what it was like when a person felt as if the entire world was against him. Then as the conversation transitioned into a mindless conversation, you couldn’t remember who fell asleep first but it was definitely past midnight when you had last checked the clock. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>You softly chuckled when you glanced at Kageyama’s face to his eyebrows scrunched up and teeth grinding in his sleep. ‘Does he ever relax?’ you think as you walked up to your laptop and ended the call. As much as you wanted to wake him, you knew that he needed as much rest as he needed and you needed to get ready. And before you stepped into the shower to move forward with your day, you sent a text to Kageyama. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>“Thank you for last night :) Sleep well, Tobio.” </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>“You guys didn’t even talk about your date?” Kuroo snickered in the middle of your meal. He was already on his second helping of ramen while Bokuto munched on some karaage before slurping more of his ramen. </p><p>You shrugged and finished the food you were eating before replying, “It wasn’t really brought up yet. We were so caught up with our volleyball stories that the most important thing wasn’t addressed.” </p><p>“But who was the one who initiated the call?” Bokuto asked. </p><p>“He did. We were texting each other while they were on the way back to Miyagi because he wanted to make sure I got home safe. I forgot how it came up, but yeah. There’s your story, haha.” </p><p>“Damn, the kid can be smooth without even trying.” Kuroo clicked his tongue and shook his head in disbelief. </p><p>“He’s still young and learning. Hey, (Y/N)-chan, is there anyone on the team that gives off Casanova vibes that might be helping him with you?” Bokuto asked. </p><p>“Hmmm…” you tapped your chin in thought while mentally going through your teammates. “Maybe Tanaka? Mm, wait. It could be Daichi or Sugawara too.” </p><p>“The kid’s got great helpers then.” Bokuto mused and continued on with his meal.</p><p>“Do Rui and Homura know about this yet?” Kuroo asked. </p><p>You slapped your forehead and immediately grabbed your phone to update them. <em>‘They’re going to kill me.’  </em></p><p>“I can’t believe I forgot! Homura is going to kill me.” you groaned while opening the text thread with the girls. The boys laughed at the exaggerated expression you made while typing on your phone.</p><p>Kuroo snickered at your reaction and you flipped your finger at him in response. </p><p>“I feel so special knowing that we got to find out first.” Kuroo playfully happy cried and hugged Bokuto. </p><p>The boys finished up their meal as you rapidly typed away with the girls. As the waiter approached with the bill, Bokuto and Kuroo looked down at you with cheeky smiles and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes with a smile. You paid the bill and the boys cheered. </p><p>“You know you love us, (Y/N)-chan.” Bokuto grinned and ruffled your hair while the three of you made your way back onto the bustling sidewalk. </p><p>“So what’s the plan now?” You asked as the three of you stepped out of the way and underneath the awning to figure out the next step. </p><p>“I promised Kenma I’d meet up with him to pick up a new game that came out. So I can probably walk with you guys to the bus stop and then depart from there.” Kuroo said as stretched his arms above his head. </p><p>“What about you Ko-chan?” you asked. </p><p>“Ah, some of the guys from Fukurodani are coming over to watch some videos of our opponents for the upcoming tournament. So same as Tetsu, we can all walk to the bus stop to make sure you get home safe before departing.” </p><p>You scrunched up your nose as you took in your surroundings and realized that you were near Homura’s apartment. With a smile, you patted the boys’ shoulders and said, “You don’t need to do that. Rui is at Homura’s right now and since she’s not that far I’ll probably drop by.” </p><p>“We could walk you there.” Kuroo offered. </p><p>“Yeah, I still got time. We gotta make sure our precious gem gets to her destination safely.” Bokuto smiled and slung his arm over your shoulders. </p><p>“I just didn’t want to make you guys wait, haha. You two are such dorks, but I appreciate you guys so much,” you commented but still let them lead you towards your friend’s place. </p><p>The ringing of your phone caught your attention while listening to their conversation about the upcoming tournament and you raised an eyebrow at the unexpected caller. </p><p><em>‘Daichi? What would he call me for?’</em> You thought to yourself before answering the call. </p><hr/><p>It was an odd feeling walking into Karasuno and not heading straight to the boys’ gym. You were one of the first occupants on campus, having arrived a couple of minutes after the security guard opened the school’s gates. With some practice clothes on, you made your way towards where the girl’s team usually practiced and bit your lip. As each step brought you closer to a new beginning, you weren’t sure how to feel. Your heartbeat increased and it felt like there was something caught in your throat. It’s been so long since you’ve played for a team, even for yourself. Sure you’ve had casual games here and there, but they were all just for fun and reconnecting with old friends. Now that a new opportunity had opened its door to you, you knew that it was something that you wanted to keep under wraps until you were sure that it was something that could be committed to. </p><p>“(Y/)-chan!”</p><p>You were pulled out of your thoughts and unclenched your hands that were bunched up in the pockets of your volleyball club jacket. The welcoming smile that radiated off of Daichi’s face immediately made you relax as you walked up to him and gave him a hug. He scratched the back of his neck once you let go and reassuringly squeezed your shoulder. </p><p>“Sorry for having you come out so early, but I kind of mentioned to a friend of mine what kind of player you were. The coach found out and they immediately wanted to try and recruit you. Of course, Coach Ukai had heard about it first and asked me to talk to you about it.” </p><p>“It’s fine, really. I had talked to my friends about it and I think I might be able to do it. I’m not sure though, but I’d like to give it a try. I still do want to be your manager whenever I can though.” You replied with a small smile. </p><p>Daichi beamed at you as he led you inside where some of the girls were huddled around the coach. </p><p>“Don’t worry about that. I’m sure once the coach sees how good of a player you are, she and Coach Ukai can work something out,” he murmured before pushing you in front of him. </p><p>“Michimiya, she’s here!” he called out. </p><p>The girl with short brown hair looked up from beside the coach and greeted you with a warm smile. </p><p>“I’m assuming you must be the (L/N)-san that Sawamura-kun has been talking about.” </p><p>You nodded and smiled back while shaking her outstretched hand. “Yes, I was surprised to hear that you guys wanted to try and recruit a new member in the middle of the season.” </p><p>She laughed and said, “Well, with most of our team already graduating, we’re always looking for new members. To be honest, ever since I mentioned it to our coach, she actually pulled up some of your old games.” </p><p>Daichi and you followed to where she pointed and that was when you realized that the girls were huddled around an iPad. You sheepishly smiled, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the sudden recognition, and immediately began to wave your hands. </p><p>“Y-You guys really don’t need to do that. I’m pretty sure I’m not as good as I was before.” </p><p>“You’re just trying to be humble, (Y/N)-chan!” Daichi laughed and slung his arm over your shoulders. “You’ve easily out beaten all of the guys on the team during our drills. I’m pretty sure with how you’ve participated in some of our camps, you’ve been itching to be put in a proper game.” </p><p>Michimiya’s eyes brightened at the mention of you practicing again and said, “That sounds awesome! Coach just wanted to see how you overall all with your stats and introduce you to the rest of the team. Of course, we know you’re already committed to the boy’s club as a manager so I’m pretty sure we can work something out.” </p><p>“So I guess you’ll take it from here, Michimiya?” Daichi said as he gave you one last squeeze on the shoulders before making his way towards the club room to change into practice clothes. </p><p>“Yeah, we won’t keep her too long! She’ll be back to you guys by the time you come back from your jog.” </p><p>“Daichi!” you called out just as he was about to exit. He looked over his shoulder, hand resting on the doorway, waiting for you to continue. </p><p>“Thank you, I really appreciate it. But until I see where this goes, can you keep this a secret?” </p><p>He nodded in understanding and smiled back at you. “No worries, your secret is safe with me. I’ll let Coach Ukai know too.” </p><p>“Thank you!” </p><p>Turning your attention back to Michimiya, she gave you another smile before walking you over towards the coach to get you assessed. </p><p><em>‘Well, let’s see how this goes…’</em> you thought to yourself and bowed towards the coach who had stood up from her chair to meet you.</p><hr/><p>There was a pep to your step as you made your way towards the boys’ gym after changing into the manager’s uniform. You were humming along to your favorite song and texted your parents individually about the news. The overall thrill of your muscle memory was still vibrating through your body after finishing your assessment with the girls’ volleyball team. Lifting your hands in front of you, you admired the familiar warmth that spread through your hands after spiking ball after ball. After being off of the court for so long, it felt so good to have that feeling again. The initial doubts you had going into that gym disappeared and after meeting the team, you had a good feeling that you were going to get along with them. Since the girls were finished with their season, you had a lot more fluidity to make your new schedule. </p><p>With a happy sigh, you grinned to yourself before walking into the gym and greeting everyone. </p><p>“Sorry I’m late everyone!” you smiled before bowing to the boys who were on their water break after their jog. </p><p>“Where were you?” Nishinoya asked, quickly noticing your good mood in the morning. From the years that he’d known you, the libero found it suspicious that you were in such a light mood despite you hating the mornings. </p><p>You mentally cursed at the suspicious look on Nishinoya’s face and shrugged. With quick thinking, you crossed your arms and gave him a cocky smile.</p><p>“I had to help my mom with her catering business this morning. She made my favorite dessert and I got to have a fresh batch of it.” <em>‘Thankfully she actually did make some last night…’ </em></p><p>“She made her infamous strawberry daifuku and you didn’t tell me?!” he exclaimed with his jaw dropped. </p><p>You patted his shoulder as you passed by him to set your things onto the bench. “I’ll bring you some later tonight.” </p><p>“We’re going home together?” he asked as he looked over his shoulder.</p><p>“I…need your help with something.” You said while pulling out your notebook and pen.</p><p>“OH MY GOD. HE DID.” Nishinoya immediately understood what you were implying and excitedly began to repeatedly slap Tanaka’s shoulder to get his attention.</p><p>You sighed as the rest of the team gave him weird looks, wondering what he was implying. Pinching the bridge of your nose, you closed your eyes not wanting to hear another round of teasing from your best friend. </p><p>“SINCE WHEN?!”</p><p>“After the camp.”</p><p>“What are you guys talking about?” Yamaguchi asked, looking between the two of you. </p><p>Kageyama arched an eyebrow at this as well and silently stood at the back of the group. He wanted to know why Nishinoya was acting so excited. Over the weekend, he assumed you already told his senior because of your close friendship, but now it showed that it wasn’t the case. Meanwhile, Suga looked at you and then at Kageyama and grinned to himself. Without saying anything, he patted Kageyama on the back. Kageyama looked at him in surprise and then immediately understood that Suga was giving him the credit for following the grey-haired setter’s advice. </p><p>“Well you see, (Y/N)-chan and I made a bet.” Nishinoya smiled and gestured towards you with his thumb. “And she just confirmed that I won and I need to help her with her punishment.” </p><p>“What do you guys make a bet about?” Asahi asked.</p><p>“That Kageyama would ask her out on a date!”</p><p>The team was silent and immediately looked at you then Kageyama. You had buried your face in your hands to hide the way that you were blushing for being outed by Nishinoya. Kageyama just stopped functioning with the tip of his ears tinged with a bright red color. </p><p>“WHAT?!” everyone exclaimed before gushing over the two of you.</p><p>“Kageyama, you finally did it!” Daichi smiled while some of the guys were giving him pats on the shoulders.</p><p>“I didn’t think he’d have the balls to do it,” Tsukishima commented and Yamaguchi chuckled underneath his breath before dragging the blonde over so they could try to hear how he did it.</p><p>“You guys are so cute!” Yachi said to you as she set down the washed practice jerseys onto the empty space next to you.</p><p>“Do you know what you guys are doing yet?” Shimizu asked. </p><p>You shook your head and nodded at Kageyama who was being pestered by Hinata, Tanaka, and Nishinoya to share the story. He was shaking his head furiously and trying to get out of the huddle that the boys put him in. With a sigh, you got up from your seat when Coach Ukai walked into the gym with Takeda-sensei at his side. He called you over with a smirk on his face and you rolled your eyes, knowing what he was going to talk to you about. Looking over your shoulder, you grinned at Shimizu and gave her a peace sign. </p><p>“He said he’d tell me after practice today!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. - 15.5 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You get your hair dyed while hanging out with Rui, Homura, and Nishinoya. In the midst of hanging out, you get caught texting Kageyama and your friends do what they always do: instigate and get to know the boy you’ve been crushing on.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Merry Christmas everyone!!  I hope you guys enjoy this side chapter. I wanted to give a glimpse of what it would be like when hanging out with your girlfriends and best friend. I know it’s been a slow burn, but just trust the process! Always thankful for all the interactions with the story :) Comments and feedback are highly appreciated. Then lastly like always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t believe you let him do this.” Homura chuckled as she sectioned off the front half of your hair. <b><br/></b></p><p>“I honestly didn’t think that it was going to happen.” you sighed and adjusted your position on the stool you were sitting on in your room. When you visited Homura told the girls all about your bet and the progress with Kageyama, they insisted to do the honors. </p><p>“Well, she was pretty oblivious,” Nishinoya shrugged and spun around on his own stool that was brought in from your kitchen. </p><p>“But a bet is a bet, so we get to see your virgin hair finally be dyed.” Rui chuckled as she entered the room with the bowls and brushes needed to bleach your and Nishinoya’s hair. </p><p>“So, now that he asked you on a date, are you excited?” Homura asked once she and Rui began to apply the bleach. </p><p>You couldn’t stop the smile that crept up onto your face and the blush that dusted your cheeks. The girls giggled at your reaction while Nishinoya jokingly wriggled his eyebrows. </p><p>“I think Suga-san has been giving Kageyama some tips because the boy has been showing some game to become boyfriend material.” Nishinoya mused. </p><p>“What do you mean?” Homura asked as she ripped some tin foil from its case and started on another section of your hair. </p><p>“So we finished practice right,” Nishinoya started and your attention was brought to the buzz from your phone. While you checked to see who texted you, he continued, “While the rest of the team was walking towards the gate, Kageyama and (Y/N)-chan were already standing there. She was leaning against the wall and his body was hiding hers.”</p><p>“It must be hard trying to find some privacy with the team, huh (Y/N)-chan?” Rui commented as she looked over at you.</p><p>“Yeah…something like that,” you mindlessly murmured while texting on your phone. She raised an eyebrow at your behavior, but quickly assumed that you were texting the said person Nishinoya was talking about. </p><p>“Then he said ‘Meet me at the park you took me to last time at noon tomorrow.’” Nishinoya said in his best Kageyama impression. </p><p>“So <em>he</em> was the one that planned the date! And he’s keeping you on your toes? Wow, I’m so jealous~” Homura teased and poked your shoulder with the edge of the brush she was using. </p><p>You laughed and poked your stomach in retaliation. “And what about Ko-kun?” you shot back.</p><p>She immediately shut up and it was her turn to blush. You all laughed at her reaction and Nishinoya continued telling the girls what happened before arriving at your apartment. Biting back a smile, you returned to the conversation that was happening on your phone. </p><p>“Then after saying it was a surprise, he <em>smiled</em>. The kid smiled! We never get to see a smile but it looked so natural when looking at (Y/N)!” </p><p>“Sheesh, was the kid that awkward before?” Rui asked as she patted Nishinoya’s shoulders and he jumped out of his stool. Going to the mirror that was tucked away in the corner, he grinned and then saluted Rui. </p><p>“Thanks, Rui, I can’t wait to see it retouched! Ah, also,” he started before plopping onto your bed. “That wasn’t the best part. Our (Y/N)-chan finally made a move on him.” </p><p>“Ehhh? Really?” Homura and Rui asked as they turned their attention towards you. You hid your face behind your phone and felt warm from the post embarrassment that rippled through your body. </p><p>“What’d she do?” Rui asked and took a seat on one of the cushions near your coffee table. “Also, you can rinse in about forty minutes or so, Ryu.” </p><p>“Osu~” he hummed and looked at the girls. He nodded towards you and said, “Right before they separated, she kissed him on the cheek. It was really sweet but the guys were laughing so hard! Kageyama completely stopped functioning with his face all red and became a stuttering mess. Hinata and Tanaka had to make sure that he was okay.” </p><p>“Aw, (Y/N)!!” the girls cooed and you rolled your eyes with a smile on your face. </p><p>“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you guys.” </p><p>Homura finished up your hair and the four of you guys lounged in your room to pass the time. You relaxed on your bed with Nishinoya and laid your head on his stomach while he sprawled out like a starfish. Homura settled on the chair by your desk and she gasped when noticing the new details on your wall. </p><p>“Ohohoho~ is this him?” she asked as she pointed to the Polaroid picture that had you and Kageyama on it. </p><p>“Wait let me see!” Rui excitedly said and stood beside Homura. </p><p>“Courtesy of me ladies, don’t you forget it,” Nishinoya commented while you focused on your phone. </p><p>“Wow, you’re actually good at something, Ryu!” Homura replied and laughed when he threw a pillow at her. </p><p>“Shut up, brat!” </p><p>“Make me, shorty.” Homura joked and stuck her tongue out at him. </p><p>“Why I oughta-” he started and shook his fist at her.</p><p>“Alright guys, settle down. I do have to say, he does look quite cute.” Rui cut him off while they browsed through all of the other Polaroids. </p><p>Nishinoya wondered why you weren’t really reacting to the conversation since you were the main topic. You should’ve been blushing or complaining at how much they were taking digs at you. When he glanced down, he realized that you were too busy tapping away on your phone. He smirked when he noticed the person you were talking to and snatched the phone out of your hands. You gaped at him as he pressed the call button and you screamed. </p><p>“RYU, GIVE IT BACK!” </p><p>“Nah, you’ve been talking to him this entire time! It’s precious friend time right now and in order for this to be finished, you just need to do it over the phone.” he cheekily said.</p><p>“Oi, Homura!” </p><p>Homura devilishly grinned and caught your phone when Nishinoya tossed it towards her. You tried to scramble off of the bed, but Nishinoya held you back. She put the phone on speaker and Rui shrugged. </p><p>“Sorry, he has to go through us first!” she said. </p><p>Kageyama’s voice could be heard from the speakers and you groaned while you accepted the fact that there was no way of stopping the girls. </p><p>“Is this Kageyama-kun?” Rui asked. </p><p>
  <em>“Ah yes….who is this?” </em>
</p><p>“This is Tsukiyomi Rui and,” “Makoto Homura here!” the girls greeted.</p><p>
  <em>“A-Ah, (Y/N)’s friends, she’s told me a lot about you two.” </em>
</p><p>“We hope she has because we have heard a lot about you.” Homura chuckled. </p><p>
  <em>“Y-You have?” </em>
</p><p>You could already imagine Kageyama straightening up from hearing this and could only bury your face in your hands. <em>‘He wasn’t supposed to know!’ </em>With a glare, you tried to get up and prevent Homura from sharing anything more embarrassing, but Nishinoya had locked his legs around yours while his arms were hooked around your arms. He was laughing at your efforts and the girls shook their head in amusement.</p><p>“Oh yeah, she always talks about you! But don’t worry though, it’s always good things.” Rui reassured. </p><p>
  <em>“That’s good to hear. But may I ask you something?”</em>
</p><p>“Sure, go ahead!” Homura replied. </p><p><em>“…why are you calling from (Y/N)’s phone? Is she there?”</em> </p><p>“Ah, she is. Say hello to Kageyama-kun, (Y/N)-chan!” </p><p>They snickered when they held the phone in front of you and you rolled your eyes at them. </p><p>“Hey Tobio, sorry about them. They’re typically not like this in person.” </p><p>“Hey!” “We’re just trying to help!” they exclaimed. </p><p>
  <em>“It’s fine, it usually reminds me of Nishinoya-san and Tanaka-san.” </em>
</p><p>“Oi brat, I heard that!” Nishinoya yelled. </p><p>
  <em>“Nishinoya-san?! You’re there too?” </em>
</p><p>“That’s right Kageyama, haha. I had to make sure our (Y/N)-chan finished her end of the bargain. Don’t worry though, she’ll be all prepped and ready for your date tomorrow.” </p><p>
  <em>“R-Right…” </em>
</p><p>“Oh, that’s exciting! Where are you taking her?” </p><p>
  <em>“Am I on speaker right now?” </em>
</p><p>“Yes, you are!” </p><p>
  <em>“…Can I just speak to Tsukiyomi-san and Makoto-san?” </em>
</p><p>You raised an eyebrow at this while the girls giddily laughed and quickly exited your room to speak with Kageyama. Who knew what the boy had in mind? With a sigh, you grew limp in Nishinoya’s grip and he finally let you go. He laughed at your exhausted expression and poked your cheek. </p><p>“Cheer up, everything will be fine. You know this is how things go whenever there’s a potential boy involved with you three.” </p><p>“I hope so~” you whined. </p><p>“We both know that Kageyama is a perfectionist, I’m pretty sure he’s trying to make sure that what he has planned is what you really want to.” </p><p>“I guess you’re right.” </p><p>“But!” Nishinoya started before sitting up and looking down at you with a bright smile. “You also gotta make sure to return the effort so the poor boy knows that you’re on the same page as him.” </p><p>“What are you implying Ryu-nii?” </p><p>“Make sure to bring your A-game! Flirt with the kid and he can be so shy sometimes so you might have to take the initiative on some things. You guys have been talking throughout the day, right? That means you probably have a better grasp on how he is more than any of us now.” </p><p>You hummed in thought and he lightly hit you with a pillow. Your jaw dropped and he simply just laughed before patting your head. </p><p>“Don’t start overthinking (Y/N), everything will be alright.” </p><p>Homura and Rui came back with smirks on their faces. They tossed your phone onto your bed and motioned for you and Nishinoya to head towards your bathroom. </p><p>“Alright you two, time to finish your hair, and then we gotta put together (Y/N)’s outfit for tomorrow!” </p><p>You gulped knowing how chaotic the girls would be and looked at Nishinoya for help. It was futile because he already made his way towards the sink to rinse his hair out. Noticing how you weren’t going to have any peace and quiet until your friends were satisfied, you sat on your tub while the girls talked to Nishinoya about the team. With fingers crossed, you hoped that all was going to go well for the big day tomorrow.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. - 16 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It’s finally the day for your date with Kageyama and you can’t help but feel so nervous. He surprises you by taking you to your favorite place and the day is filled with constant blushing while spending time with your crush.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy New Year!! Their date is finally here and I made sure to incorporate as many sweet moments as I could in this update! Be prepared to smile like crazy, hehehe *^* Comments and feedback are highly appreciated. Then lastly like always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>“I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.” </em>
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    </b>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Your heartbeat increased when you looked down at the text from Kageyama. It was five minutes until your promised meet-up time and you wiped your palms against the skirt you were wearing. Taking in a deep breath, you tried to calm down from the nerves that filled your body. It was your first date and the girls spent the entire night drilling different things that you were supposed to do with him. You were surprised that even Nishinoya had added his two cents before the three of them walked you to the park. Then again, he did have his fair share of crushes and small flings before his admiration and infatuation for Kiyoko started. <em>‘Oh, that boy…’ </em></p><p>With a sigh, you knew it was futile to just keep still against the bike rack. Moving towards the swings, you took a seat and began to mindlessly push yourself back and forth. It was better to keep yourself preoccupied to let out all the pent up nervous energy you were feeling. Your phone pinged a couple of times and you looked down at the notifications. A small grin crept onto your face to see that the girls and Nishinoya all texted you good luck and to have fun with Kageyama. Your mind flashed back to the hours leading up to this moment and you didn’t know what you would without your best friends. </p><p>The moment that you woke up that morning, you couldn’t help but freak out. Sure you had admirers before and even some rejections, but Kageyama was your first official date. It’s been a while since you’ve had such strong feelings about someone and you were thankful that it bloomed from the wonderful friendship you had with him. Your friends found it hilarious seeing you pace around your room. While Homura calmly placed the outfit they picked out for you on your bed, Rui led you to the bathroom with constant reassurance that everything was going to be okay, and Nishinoya took the lead to prepare breakfast for all of you. You’ve had your doubts and worries that things might take an awkward turn and mentally began to freak out once more, on the verge of canceling the date. Nishinoya had to hold you down at the dining table and remind you that it was okay if things are awkward at first. It was always like that for first dates and after some time to adjust, things will go accordingly from that point on. </p><p>You were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard your name being called out. Turning towards the entrance of the park, you were surprised to see Kageyama slightly out of breath. He was hunched over and leaned against the wall to stabilize himself. </p><p>“S-Sorry I’m late!” he said. “I planned to be here early but I had to help my family with something.” </p><p>Getting up from the swing, you shook your head and waved your hands in front of you. “No, no, it’s totally okay! I was just super early….”</p><p>He looked up and all of the words he was about to say got caught in his throat. You always looked pretty cute to him at school but finally seeing you out of uniform made him speechless. The white off the shoulder blouse and denim skirt you were wearing gave you a softer look than the concentrated one he was used to seeing at practice. Your hair was tied half up and half down with the newly bleached strands delicately framing your face. Since he said to go for a casual vibe, the white high-top chucks showed that you were ready for the day he had planned. Kageyama cleared his throat and immediately straightened his posture. His grip around the strap of his black sling tightened as he felt his heartbeat increase. His cheeks were dusted in pink as he met you halfway at the park. </p><p>You gave him a shy smile and Kageyama immediately hid his face with the back of his palm. Looking at the rest of the park, he said, “Y-You look really p-pretty today, (Y/N)…” <em>‘The blonde streaks actually compliment her so well…’ </em></p><p>“T-Thank you, Tobio…” you shyly replied back and then cleared your throat to help compose yourself. </p><p>He peeked through his fingers and you grinned while rocking back and forth. “You look really handsome today as well.” </p><p>Kageyama felt himself short circuit for a bit while his face grew warmer. <em>‘How can she be this cute?!’</em> He thought to himself and tried to calm the rapid beating of his heart. </p><p>You giggled when you realized that he wasn’t expecting a compliment back and took advantage of him getting himself together to admire his good looks. He was wearing an oversized white t-shirt with a pair of white striped black joggers. To finish off the look, he wore a pair of black and white chunky sneakers and a silver watch on his left hand. God, you thought he always looked the best in just his ICS sweatshirt and comfy joggers, but seeing this different side of him, made you feel all warm inside. </p><p>With a cough, Kageyama shook his head to clear his thoughts and gave you a small smile. </p><p>“Well then, let’s get this day started?” </p><p>You nodded excitedly and let him lead out of the park towards the surprise destination he’d been hiding from you these past couple of days.</p><hr/><p>After taking a bus to the city, your jaw dropped when both of you walked up to your destination. With a bright smile, you tugged on his sleeve while jumping up and down. </p><p>“We’re going to the aquarium?!” </p><p>Kageyama took out two tickets from his front pocket and smirked. “I remember you mentioned it when we were on Skype one time. Since it’s been a while, I thought it was a good idea.” </p><p>You couldn’t help the happy squeal that escaped your lips and immediately hugged him. Kageyama’s eyes widened and you grinned after letting go. </p><p>“That is the sweetest thing anyone has done for me in the while…especially since I mentioned it in passing during one of your conversations. So thank you, Tobio.” </p><p>He blushed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I just wanted to make sure it was perfect for you…” </p><p>Even though he mumbled it, you were still completely flattered that he remembered the small detail. And since you had the whole day, you wanted to make the most of it. So without another moment to waste, you slipped your hand into his and began to tug him towards the entrance. </p><p>“So what are we waiting for?! Let’s go, Tobio!” You smiled at him with your dimple peaking out. </p><p>His eyes widened at the sudden skinship and the moment he looked up at you, Kageyama did all he could to remember the radiant look on your face. The sweet feeling of your tiny hand in his made his heart swell and with a small smile, he easily caught up with your pace to make your way towards the entrance. <em>‘Let’s see what else the rest of the day holds for us.’ </em></p><p>Once getting through the entrance, both of you looked around in awe at Sendai’s Umino-Mori Aquarium welcoming screen. It filled the room with all the different exhibits that you could visit and you pursed your lips, mentally trying to figure out which exhibit to check out first. Kageyama was looking at all the different graphics and without a thought, mindlessly stroked the back of your hand with his thumb. Your eyes widened slightly at the small notion and you couldn’t help but become a blushing mess. <em>‘So soft and gentle…’</em> Shaking your head slightly to clear your head, you looked up at him and smiled. He looked so innocent just reading all of the different summaries and you knew that you wanted to remember this day forever. </p><p>With a small squeeze, you pointed towards the first exhibit. “I can’t make up my mind…so did you want to go in order?” </p><p>He grinned and gestured for you to lead the way. “Whatever you want.” </p><p>And with that, the day at the aquarium started. As you walked through each exhibit, you couldn’t help but let your inner child come out. Whenever you saw some of your favorite fish, you would immediately go up to the glass and point up to it. An exciting string of words would leave your mouth as you told some of your favorite facts to Kageyama. He took all this time to enjoy your presence and listen to the calming tone of your voice. If an exhibit was too crowded and you were wrapped up in your own world, he would have a secure hand on your lower back to make sure no kids or stranger would bump into you. If there was a funny looking fish, you would try to imitate its face, and Kageyama couldn’t help but chuckle every single time because of how cute you looked. Then he couldn’t help but tease you here and there with playful jabs because he loved seeing the way you would pout or roll your eyes with a smile on your face. Then you’d just squeeze his hand before turning your attention back towards the little aquatic creatures. One thing was for certain and that was whenever you would walk through the aquarium, your hands would find their way back to each other. </p><p>“Tobio, look!” you said and pointed towards the small petting station that was at the end of the first building. </p><p>He eyed the small area warily, but let you pull him towards it anyways. Like you, it’s been years since he was at an aquarium and the last thing he remembered was avoiding the petting area at all costs. The concept of touching something he didn’t know was daunting and he tried to mentally strengthen his resolve for your sake. One look at your excited face as you listened to the employee giving you a small lesson on the proper way to handle the small jellyfish was all it took for Kageyama to give in. </p><p>You curiously looked behind you and saw Kageyama’s expression. With a chuckle, you raised an eyebrow at him and said, “Are you <em>scared</em>, Tobio?” </p><p>The small smirk on your face told him that you immediately caught on to his mental battle and gulped. He set his hands on your shoulder and snorted, “A-As if, now you go first.” </p><p>“Throwing me off of the deep end? It’s okay to be scared~” you teased and turned your attention towards the station. </p><p>You giggled at the different sensations while Kageyama leaned down, his face right to yours as he observed your interactions with the little creatures. </p><p>“See? Doesn’t it look fun?” you grinned and with two fingers, touched the top of the nearest jellyfish.</p><p>He frowned slightly and mumbled, “They’re jellyfish, what if you get stung?” </p><p>“It’s not going to happen since we’re touching the top of it. Plus we’re all being supervised, silly.” </p><p>With a huff, Kageyama hesitantly reached out and put his hand in the water. You turned and your eyes widened slightly. In the midst of your excitement, you hadn’t realized just how close he was to you. He leaned from behind, his arm right next to your outstretched one in the water the other still resting on your shoulders. His face was right in front of you when you turned and you noticed the childlike innocence that swam in the depths of his dark blue eyes. His presence surrounded you and your heartbeat increased once more. You still couldn’t believe that he was with you right then and there. And before you could stop yourself, you pecked him on the cheek. </p><p>His eyes widened and he turned to look at you. You had already turned away, mentally screaming at your actions. But the smile and red tinge on your ears gave you away and Kageyama couldn’t help but rest his forehead against your shoulder. He gripped the edge of the station while your hand already withdrew itself from the water and was now gripping the strap of your black mini backpack. </p><p>“You are seriously going to be the death of me…(Y/N),” he murmured with a bashful smile. He had to refrain himself from immediately wrapping his arms around your frame. Kageyama didn’t want to startle you after that kiss and he wanted to make sure you were comfortable with that level of affection first. <em>‘More specifically, those warm kisses of hers.’ </em></p><p>“I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself, you looked so cute.” you grinned and poked his head. </p><p>He breathed out before straightening himself up and took a step back to give you some space. You tilted your head to the side and he offered his hand, nodding towards the exit to the outdoor area of the aquarium. With a nod, you slipped your hand back into his and led you outside. </p><p>“Where shall we go next?” he asked you. </p><p>“Shall we take a small break? We can use the restroom and then grab some food before exploring?” you suggested since the restroom was next to the exit. </p><p>“Sounds good, meet back here in a bit,” he confirmed and you both went your separate ways for a bit. </p><p>You couldn’t help but pat your warm cheeks now that you finally had a moment to yourself. The day had been going so well and you were ecstatic to know that things between you and Kageyama were never awkward. He showed a caring side that rarely came out and just like what he said to you, the pretty setter was going to be the death of you. It was all about the small things he did that made your heart flutter. Since he wasn’t much of a speaker, all of his intentions showed through his actions and you knew that you were falling hard for him. After finishing up your business, you splashed some cool water on your face to help calm down the warmth that never seemed to leave your face. </p><p>Once you exited, Kageyama was already waiting for you. He gave you a small smile and instead of holding your hand, he wrapped his arm around your shoulders. You looked up at him and he simply shrugged before nodding towards the small food stalls that were lined up along the pathway leading up to the dolphin stadium. </p><p>“There are a lot of people outside, I don’t want to lose you in the crowd so it’s better to have you this close to me.” </p><p>You chuckled and leaned into his body a bit more with your arm wrapped around his backside. “Alright smooth talker, what shall we eat?” </p><p>“Let’s get something easy to eat so then we can get a good spot for the dolphin show. You still wanted to sit in the front, right?” </p><p>“Yup! They’re my favorite animal here.” You grinned and he nodded. </p><p>“Alright then, the front it is.” </p><p>After agreeing on a stall, you queued up and ordered some yakisoba and takoyaki to share. Kageyama refused to have you pay and you playfully glared at him while waiting for your order. </p><p>“I could have pitched in, y’know.” </p><p>He leaned against the railing that surrounded the tree you guys were standing by and smirked. “Nah, I wouldn’t ever let you do that.” </p><p>“Why not? I’m more than capable of doing that.” </p><p>Kageyama played with your hands in his and said, “I know, but let me spoil you today.” </p><p>“Why can’t I spoil you back?” You asked with a raised eyebrow and returned his smirk. </p><p>“Because it’s our first date and my grandfather always taught me to treat girls with the utmost respect. He always said it was rude to let the girl pay.” </p><p>You chuckled and said, “Your grandfather is right but still, you got the tickets and paid the bus for us. I could have at least covered lunch, it’s the least I could do for all of this.” </p><p>“Just get me next time then.” he casually said and patted your head while the number of your order was called. </p><p>“I’ll get the food and why don’t you try to find a seat for us?” Kageyama suggested. </p><p>“Alrighty then!” you smiled and he grinned before heading towards the pick-up window. You amusedly smiled to yourself at his last comment while going through the entrance of the stadium. </p><p><em>‘Next time, hm? I wonder if you know how smooth you can be without trying Tobio…’</em> you mused and found a section near the middle and not too near the front. It was a couple of rows up, but you were still close enough to get the perfect view. Settling into your seat, you texted some updates to your friends in the group chat before looking around the stadium. Since it was near showtime, more people began to pile in. It was a habit of yours to people watch whenever you were left to your own devices and you grinned as some excited children pressed themselves up to the glass of the huge tank to admire the dolphins that were swimming around. As you mindlessly looked around, there was a group that had caught your attention while walking to their seats. Your eyes narrowed slightly at the familiarity that the group held as they walked two sections down from you. There were five people: two girls and three guys and you had a gut feeling as to who they all were. <em>‘Of course, they would, how did I not notice?!’</em> you mentally facepalmed yourself as you looked down at the text thread and realized that no one in the group chat replied. Your suspicions were confirmed when two of the boys excitedly pointed at the dolphins and some white hair peeked out of the taller boy’s hat. Without hesitation, you pressed the speed dial on your phone and watched one of the girls look at their phone. She swatted for the boys’ attention and the other girl pulled their ears to make them sit down. They all crowded around the girl whose phone you were calling and shook your head in amusement. ‘<em>These loving idiots…’ </em></p><p>“Oi~ Homura, tell Ko-chan and Ryu-nii I said hello,” you smirked when she picked up the phone.</p><p>They all gasped at the same time and looked in your direction. You waved at them and gave them an annoyed smile.</p><p>
  <em>“Fancy seeing you here, (Y/N)-chan…hehe,” </em>
</p><p>“What are all of you guys doing here?!” you hissed into the phone when you noticed that Kageyama finally walked in.</p><p><em>“We just wanted to make sure that your date was going well!”</em> Bokuto replied happily. </p><p>You laughed when you watched Kuroo smack the back of his head and the latter pouted. </p><p>“Did you really think that I wouldn’t notice you guys? Especially when Ko-chan’s hair is so easy to spot?” you laughed while waving Kageyama down. </p><p><em>“He insisted on wearing a hat, we wanted him to wear a wig.”</em> Rui chuckled on the phone. </p><p>“You also shouldn’t have walked right in front of me. All of you weren’t really…disguised.”</p><p><em>“We tried our best not to disturb you guys, okay? But I do gotta admit, the kid has some good game.”</em> Kuroo commented. </p><p><em>“Yeah! Oh, he’s getting closer. We won’t keep you. Have fun!”</em> Nishinoya said before hanging up the phone. </p><p>You could only quickly flip them off before turning your attention towards Kageyama who made his way towards you. After settling down, he raised an eyebrow at you and nodded at what you just did. “What just happened?” </p><p>Shaking your head, you grabbed the bag out of his hands and took out the container of takoyaki, and placed it on your lap. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” </p><p>“Are you sure?” he asked as his gaze went towards the group that you were looking at. Kageyama mentally groaned and opened the container of yakisoba before passing you a pair of chopsticks. He didn’t think you would notice your friends because he did earlier that day. The boys weren’t that conspicuous and the constant fangirling from your two best friends were easy to hear. It also didn’t help that he bumped into Nishinoya when you had separated to use the restrooms. </p><p>He chuckled and said, “Our friends are crazy.” </p><p>“You knew?!” </p><p>“I noticed but didn’t want to say anything. You looked like you were having too much fun. It didn’t help that I bumped into Noya-san when I was in the restroom.” </p><p>“That makes more sense, well, with that out of the way…let’s not mind them and continue to have fun with ourselves.” you grinned. </p><p>“I like that idea a lot more.” </p><p>While waiting for the show to start, the two of you continued to share stories from your childhood and sharing the food with each other. You laughed at a funny story that Kageyama shared involving his sister and a pair of scissors. </p><p>“…my grandfather then had to take me to a local barbershop because my sister didn’t evenly trim my hair.” </p><p>“Well, at least your hair eventually evened out.” </p><p>“Thank goodness and over the years she’s managed to set a name for herself. She’s the only one I let cut my hair.” </p><p>“That’s so adorable!” you grinned and looked down to see that there was only one more takoyaki left. </p><p>Since you were full, you picked up the takoyaki and held it in front of Kageyama’s face. His eyes widened and you smiled. “I’m full so you should have the last one.” </p><p>“Are you sure?” he asked, his cheeks a little pink from you offering to feed it to him. </p><p>You gave him an encouraging nod and Kageyama shyly ate the takoyaki. After finishing it, he grinned and affectionately squeezed your hand. </p><p>“Thank you, (Y/N).” </p><p>“Anytime, Tobio.” you grinned back and he helped you put the containers away before leaving them by his feet. </p><p>The music for the show began to fill the stadium and the two of you happily watched the show together. </p><hr/><p>You stretched your arms over your head to get rid of some of the exhaustion that was slowly settling into your body. After watching the show and throwing away your trash, you and Kageyama went through the last building before returning to the main entrance. The orange and purple hue of the sunset shown through its glass wall and he softly chuckled. </p><p>“Is someone tired?” </p><p>Rapidly shaking your head, you grinned widely. “I think I still have a lot of energy left!” </p><p>“That’s good because we have one more stop left,” he said. </p><p>“Oh? And where would that be?” </p><p>He pointed towards the gift shop by the entrance. “We still need to go through there.” </p><p>“Really?!” you smiled widely. </p><p>“Really,” he said before taking your hand and leading you into the store. </p><p>Both of you stopped in your tracks when your gazes fell upon your friends in their own world and enjoying all the different trinkets in the store. <em>‘They really aren’t ashamed of it…huh?’</em> you both thought and looked at each other. </p><p>With a shrug, you gave Kageyama a helpless smile and said, “Might as well say hello to the girls. I’ll be right back.” </p><p>He nodded and as he took a step towards the plushie section of the store, the boys immediately surrounded him. </p><p>“You’re getting her something, right?” Nishinoya smirked. </p><p>“You should get her a hoodie! Then spray it with your cologne because girls go crazy over that.” Kuroo suggested and picked up a black hoodie with the aquarium’s logo on it. </p><p>“Or you could get matching bracelets!” Bokuto suggested and pointed towards the stand that had different types of bracelets with a small sea creature in the middle as its charm. </p><p>“Nah boys, he’s done a great job today and I think…he knows exactly what to get her,” Nishinoya said as he followed Kageyama’s line of sight. </p><p>Kuroo and Bokuto looked at what was the end goal and they slapped his shoulders at the same time. </p><p>“That’s perfect! She’ll love it!” they cheered and the four boys immediately headed towards the shelves of fluffy, stuffed animals. </p><p>Once he was finished paying, Nishinoya let Kageyama know that you were talking with the girls outside by the fountain. The boys separated from him and signaled the girls to finish up their conversation with you. As they waved goodbye, you nodded towards the boys while Kageyama approached you. </p><p>You grinned at him and said, “Thankfully they’re now gone and we can finally have time to ourselves without anyone watching.”</p><p>He chuckled and nodded in agreement while you noticed something behind his back. </p><p>“Kageyama Tobio, what are you hiding behind your back?” you asked with a curious glint in your eyes. </p><p>While looking in another direction, he slowly showed the stuffed bright blue dolphin that was bought from the gift shop. An excited gasp left your lips as you stood up and he blushed when you took the plush from his grasp. You had the sweetest smile on your face as you hugged the dolphin close to you.</p><p>“Wait, wait! To finish off the day…” you said and began to rummage through your bag. </p><p>Kageyama watched as you took out your Polaroid camera and gave him a bright smile. “We need to take a picture.” </p><p>“Here, you take it since you have the longer arm.” you chuckled and passed him the camera. </p><p>“How are we doing this?” he asked with an arched eyebrow. </p><p>“Like this silly,” you softly said as you stood in front of him and gently pulled down his collar so his face was next to yours. You helped him angle the camera properly and then guided his arm over your shoulders so your reflections could properly fit in the lens. </p><p>“Then when you’re ready, go ahead and click the button on top.” </p><p>He hugged you closer and began to count down. </p><p><br/>“3…” you leaned into his embrace.</p><p>“2…” Hugging the plush closer to you, you grinned and waited for him to press the button. </p><p>“1…” </p><p>Just as the camera clicked, you felt something warm press against your cheek and furiously blushed. You hid your face behind the stuffed dolphin while Kageyama chuckled at your adorable reaction. Without knowing what to do with yourself, you slapped him on the arm and hissed, “At least warn a girl next time!” </p><p>He laughed out loud and took the photo from your camera. “That’s what the element of surprise is for, isn’t it?” </p><p>“Ugh no fair…” you whined and he patted your head. </p><p>“I have to level the playing ground here, missy. What gentleman would I be to let you give me two kisses on the cheek already and I haven’t given you one yet?” </p><p>You peeped up at him and his cheeks were also red from his actions. He handed you the Polaroid and you cleared your throat. </p><p>“I-If you w-want to level the playing field, then we need to take another one.” </p><p>He raised an eyebrow at your suggestion and you diverted your gaze elsewhere. </p><p>“It’s so you can keep a Polaroid of today too…” you murmured. </p><p>Kageyama mentally swore to himself at the adorable and bashful side of you. His feelings for you definitely grew stronger as the day went by and he knew what photo he wanted to take. </p><p>“Fine, but I get to chose how we’re taking this photo.” </p><p>“That’s fair.” you grinned. </p><p>Taking your hand into his, he sat down at the edge of the fountain and back enough to have you sitting in between his legs. He gently led you to sit in front of him and wrapped his arms around you, settling his head onto your shoulder. While he breathed in your comforting scent, he affectionately squeezed you and murmured, “Now it’s your turn to take the picture.” </p><p>Your cheeks burned and nodded before leaning into his embrace. You began the countdown and the both of you mentally swore you heard each other’s rapid heartbeat.</p><p>“3…” You adjusted the camera to its position. </p><p>“2…” Kageyama readjusted his position into something more comfortable and pulled you closer. </p><p>“1…” </p><p>With a click, the camera flashed with you smiling and him softly smirking towards the camera. You exchanged the photos that were in each other of your hands while not moving from the current position. Both of you had small, soft smiles on your face while admiring the photos you held with the high of the date radiating off of you two. There was a comfortable silence as you two got lost in your own thoughts. Kageyama comfortingly rubbed small circles into the sides of your body while you leaned your head against his. </p><p>“Thank you for today Tobio…I had a lot of fun today.” you gently said. “I’m glad I got to go here with you.”</p><p>“Thank you for giving me a chance, (Y/N). I’m glad you had fun because this is the first time I had so much fun in a while.,” he murmured back and then noticed the time on his watch. He promised not only Nishinoya but your mother too when she had called to check in on you two, to make sure that you would get home on time.  </p><p>You hummed in agreement and he sighed not wanting to move. </p><p>“Shall we head home, now?” he asked.</p><p>“Yeah, let’s go home.” you grinned before standing up and he followed suit. </p><p>While walking towards the bus station, you hugged the dolphin plush with one arm while hugging Kageyama’s arm with the other. Mindless chatter filled the air and you even joked about killing all your friends for their nosiness. You were in utter bliss and after the bus took off, you both were lulled to sleep with your head resting on Kageyama’s shoulder and his resting on yours after a successful first date.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. - 17 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Qualifiers for the Miyagi Prefecture has finally arrived. Being back at a competition venue made you nostalgic and you end up making another bet with Nishinoya. In order to prepare for the long day ahead, you grab some water for the team and someone approaches you.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Aaaand here is the next part! Introducing another important Haikyuu character into the storyline ohohoho~ *w* pls don’t kill me when you find out who it is because he is my precious baby LMAO Comments and feedback are highly appreciated. Then lastly like always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Nishinoya smirked as the team pulled up to the competition venue. <b><br/></b></p><p>It was the day of Miyagi Prefecture’s qualifiers and there was a nervous vibe that filled the air. Anticipation and determination radiated off of the boys the entire trip and it eventually got to you. Despite all the training and preparation, Karasuno has done, there was still a small sliver of doubt that this would be the last day to play with the third years. No one’s said anything, but you could tell off of everyone’s expressions that whatever happened that day was going to make or break the team. With a sigh, you leaned back into your seat as a wave of nostalgia hit from being at an old venue your old team frequented in middle school.</p><p>You hummed in agreement and he chuckled in response. “It does take me back. At least this time, I can fully enjoy the experience as an audience member.” </p><p>“Tch, you’re lying to yourself. You know you’ll always love being on the court.”</p><p>“You think so? I guess we’ll just have to see since y’know, I’m retired.” You smirked and began to gather your things when the bus safely came to a stop. <em>‘Sorry Yu-nii, it’s not time for you to know yet.’ </em></p><p>“I wonder if any of your fanboys exist. Your fan club was pretty huge.” Nishinoya mused as he got up from his seat and stretched out his arms. </p><p>You rolled your eyes at the thought of them and slung your backpack over your shoulders. “It’s been almost a year, I feel like everyone’s moved on.” </p><p>“We don’t know that for sure until we see it with our very eyes.” </p><p>“Wanna make a bet then?” you mused. </p><p>Nishinoya smirked and rubbed his hands together with a cheeky smile. “So soon? Are you ready for a double losing streak?” </p><p>“As if,” you chuckled and crossed your arms over your chest before continuing, “The loser has to buy the winner lunch for a month.” </p><p>“That doesn’t seem too bad, you’re on!” </p><p>The two of you did your secret handshake and laughed before shuffling off of the bus with everyone else. While he went to meet up with Tanaka, Hinata found his way towards you with a smile. </p><p>“(Y/N)-chan! Are you excited?!” he asked while jumping up and down. </p><p>You raised an eyebrow at him and the two of you followed the team into the gymnasium. A lot of the teams were already there and Ukai reminded everyone to not let them affect their focus. Of course, Hinata’s curiosity got the best of him, and began to comment on any team that you ended up passing. </p><p>“Shoyo, are you sure you should be wasting your energy like this? I mean you did just throw up once you got off of the bus.” </p><p>“I think I should be fine, I just need to keep my focus on what we need to do today.” He sheepishly replied. </p><p>You smiled to yourself when you noticed that Kageyama purposely slowed down to join you and Hinata at the back of the group. With a shrug, you patted Hinata on the head and said, “If you need anything, let me know. I think Yachi-chan packed some electrolyte packs if your stomach starts acting up again.” </p><p>“Right, thanks (Y/N)-chan!” His eyes landed on Kageyama who was minding his business but took his place by your side. With a grin, he squeezed your shoulder and pointed his thumb towards Yachi and Yamaguchi. </p><p>“I’m going to go ask Yachi if she has some right now and I’ll leave you two be,” he smirked. </p><p>“Hinata, boke!” “Shoyo, shut up!” </p><p>He laughed before leaving you two alone and the atmosphere calmed down. With a warm smile, you looked at Kageyama and said, “Are you ready?” </p><p>“I’m so ready to beat everyone’s asses today. There’s something in the air, but I have a feeling that we can do this,” he smirked. </p><p>“That’s good, I’ll be cheering for you from the stands then.” you beamed. </p><p>“E-Eh?” Kageyama stuttered when he heard you say that and blushed. He wasn’t used to having anyone cheer for him considering what happened at Kitagawa Daiichi. Ever since he grew closer to you, you made sure to always reassure him that things weren’t the same anymore. Karasuno had his back and no one was going to abandon him anymore. </p><p>“I’ll be your personal cheerleader!”</p><p>“Then I’ll make sure to be a player you can be proud of,” Kageyama assured once you arrived at a good spot to set everything down until it was time for their match. </p><p>The courts were already filled with the first matches of the day starting and there were other teams that were posted up in their own spots. Stretching out your arms, you set down your bag next to Yachi’s and got to work with the girls. You didn’t want to disturb the boys getting into their game mode so Shimizu figured that it was a good time to make sure all of the necessities were prepared. </p><p>“(Y/N)-chan, can you fill-up the cooler please?” Shimizu asked. </p><p>“Osu~ I’ll be right back then.” you grinned and picked up the blue cooler by its handle. </p><p>Weaving your way through the crowd of students, players, and family, you found a water fountain by the main entrance. You aimed the jug towards the water spout before leaning against the button with your hip. Once the water began to dispense, you recognized some faces that you often saw at Nishinoya’s old games. <em>‘Huh, I’m surprised to see so many familiar faces here today.’</em> A couple of them recognized you and waved in passing with their teams. There was no doubt that surprise was first seen on their faces before short pleasantries were exchanged. You were pretty sure that after today, the word was going to spread throughout the community that you returned to the volleyball scene. </p><p>You shrugged and looked down at the cooler to see that it was half-filled. A groan slipped past your lips and glared at the water fountain for being so slow. Taking your phone out of your pocket, you texted Rui and Homura to see if they were already at the venue. While waiting for their reply, you scrolled through some social media to make time go by quicker. <em>‘Geeze, we should’ve just stopped by Ukai’s shop to get water gallons to fill this thing up’ </em></p><p>“Are you lost, little manager?” </p><p>Raising an eyebrow, you looked up to see a volleyball player leaning over you. His arm was resting above you while he leaned against the wall. He had a playful glint in his eye and grinned at you. </p><p>“No, I’ve been here before.” you casually replied while slipping your phone back into your pocket. </p><p>“Aw you don’t have to be so cold, I’m just trying to make a new friend!” he laughed. </p><p>“Really now?” you muttered and mentally wished for the water to come out faster so you could leave. </p><p>“Yes, I promise! Scout’s honor~” he joked and straightened up while holding a hand over his heart. </p><p>You deadpanned and he sheepishly smiled. “Oh c’mon, I saw you standing by yourself and no one has the same school color as you here in the main lobby. I just wanted to see if you needed help.” </p><p>“I don’t believe you.” </p><p>“And the Chidoriyama’s Firecracker pierced right through my heart.” he playfully acted as if you had shot an arrow into his chest. </p><p>Your eyes widened and turned your attention back towards the guy who cheekily peeked through one of his closed eyes. </p><p>“You know who I am?” </p><p>“Of course I do. Everyone in middle school knew who you were (L/N)-san. All of the girls at my school wanted to be as good as you and I’ve seen a couple of your games before. Everyone paled in comparison to you. Even though it was only for two years that I was able to watch you, you were one of the fresh underclassmen that everyone had their eyes on. You didn’t disappoint throughout your journey at Chidoriyama anyway. ” </p><p>With a relieved sigh, the cooler was finally filled and before you could set it down yourself, the guy had already lifted up the handle. You watched as he set it down in the space between you two and he grinned at you. </p><p>“The name’s Terushima Yuuji.”</p><p>“Ah, thank you…Terushima-san.” you unsurely replied and bowed for his kind actions. </p><p>“So you’ve returned back to the scene, I see.” </p><p>You shrugged and said, “With some help, I guess. Wait, how do you know so much?” </p><p>He lazily waved it away and said, “My little sister was in the same grade as you so they played against you a couple of times. She looked up to you, y’know? Whenever there wasn’t any practice on the weekends, she would try to watch your games.” </p><p>You grinned at the mention of his little sister and said, “I really had that much of an impact before?” </p><p>“Oh most definitely.” he grinned. </p><p>“Yuuji, are you hitting on girls again?” someone called out from behind you. </p><p>“Tch, shut up Kazuma~” Terushima whined. His friend just rolled his eyes and waited for the blonde to wrap up the conversation. “C’mon Yuuji, I leave you alone for five minutes and you’ve already pounced on a poor girl. Let’s go, there’s a match I want to go see.” </p><p>Kazuma gave you a smile and held his hand up before bowing his head. “Sorry about him, he can be too straightforward sometimes.” </p><p>“I think someone needs to leave before his friend continues to embarrass him.” </p><p>“So cold, (L/N)-san. But I’ll see you later then~” he cheekily winked at you before giving you a salute. </p><p>You curiously watched him slap his friend on the back before slinging his arm around the guy’s shoulders. They headed towards one of the other gyms and you still couldn’t wrap your head around the conversation that just happened. <em>‘He’s known of me for that long? Huh, interesting…’ </em></p><p>“Well, I don’t think it was anything serious,” you muttered to yourself and shrugged before picking up the cooler and making your way back to the boys. </p><p>“I heard Karasuno is a team to look out for this year.” </p><p>“They’re the ones who played a full set with Aoba Johsai at the Inter-High prelims and actually almost beat them.”</p><p>“Whoa, seriously?” </p><p>“They have that ‘King of the Court’ guy from Kitagawa First, supposedly.”</p><p>“I hear they also have Nishinoya from Chidoriyama Middle School.” </p><p>“You mean the guy who was called the best libero when we were in middle school?”</p><p>You grinned to yourself as you passed by a group of guys that were scoping out the teams. Hearing those types of comments made you proud because it proved that the boys’ hard work was actually paying off. Rather than being known as the ‘Fallen Crows,’ Karasuno was finally a team that competitors can look out for. Setting down the jug, the girls smiled at you in thanks and began to pour water into the bottles. </p><p>“What took you so long, (Y/N)-chan?” Yachi asked. </p><p>“Ah, the water fountain took a bit too long.” You sheepishly replied and bent down to grab your notebook to go over last-minute plays. </p><p>“Were you okay by yourself?” Shimizu asked. </p><p>“Yeah, some guy approached me because he recognized me from middle school but that was about it.” </p><p>You waved it away when you noticed their eyes widened and laughed. “It was an amusing conversation, to say the least, but it wasn’t like he was hitting on me.”</p><p>“Woah, who knew you were so popular!” Yachi joked and nudged you on the shoulder. </p><p>“Tch, not even. You’re just making things up.” You laughed and began to skim through your notes. </p><p>A collective gasp was heard behind you and you looked over your shoulders. You couldn’t help but mentally sigh at the group of boys that were hovering around the entryway with their jaws dropped. All of them were dressed in different uniforms but their faces were of the boys that used to be in your class at Chidoriyama. </p><p>“(L/N)-sama!” they collectively said. </p><p>Loud laughter came from behind you and you could only facepalm yourself. <em>‘Just my luck…’</em> You quickly flipped off Nishinoya before turning your attention back to the group in front of you. With a small grin, you nodded at them in acknowledgment. They sighed with a dreamy look in their eyes and you could only turn your attention back to what you were doing. </p><p>Meanwhile, the boys were looking back and forth between you and the boys by the entryway. Sugawara could only smile in amusement while Daichi glared down at the boys. Nishinoya cheered and said, “I got free lunch coming, yes!” </p><p>“What do you mean, Noya-san? Who are those boys?” Hinata asked. </p><p>“Those boys used to be in her class back in middle school. She was kind of popular at school and had a small fan club.” </p><p>Kageyama paused and subtly raised his eyebrow at the mention of a fan club. His eyes then landed on you and watched you walk up to the group. You had a sheepish smile on your face while the group of boys huddled around you with -star-struck expressions. He clicked his tongue when annoyance bubbled up inside him. Kageyama realized he still had so much to learn about you and the fact that you were popular back at your old school made him feel insecure about himself. <em>‘No, this can’t happen right now.’</em> </p><p>Shaking away any negative thoughts and distractions from his focus, Kageyama turned back into the conversation with the boys. </p><p>“Eh? She doesn’t seem like she was popular though.” Ennoshita commented while they watched you politely exchange pleasantries with them. </p><p>“(Y/N)-chan never paid any attention to it. Any boys that approached her to confess would get rejected because all she wanted to focus on was volleyball.” Nishinoya chuckled. </p><p>“It was quite funny seeing her ignore the boys that went to cheer her and the girls on during their games,” Tanaka smirked and glowered at the group of boys. “That didn’t stop us from keeping them away from her though.” </p><p>Relief washed over Kageyama when he heard about your actions back then and looked back at you. His eyes slightly widened when you met his gaze with a soft smile. You were still keeping conversation with the boys but your attention was still on him. He laughed when you gave him a helpless facial expression and shrugged in response. Your eyes narrowed slightly and while listening to a player tell you how much he missed watching you play, you mouthed <em>‘Help me, please.’ </em></p><p>He rolled his eyes and sighed before getting up from his seat on the floor. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he made his way towards you and kept a stoic facial expression on. </p><p>“Oi.” </p><p>The boys turned their attention towards him and when they recognized who he was, he mentally smirked at their scared reactions. With a glare, he looked down at them with a scowl and walked towards you. He stood next to you and reassuringly squeezed your shoulder. You cleared your throat and straightened up once his presence surrounded you. Kageyama mentally sighed in relief when he felt you relax underneath his touch. </p><p>“You’re disturbing our manager right now. She needs to do her job and if you don’t have anything better to do, I suggest you go back to your teams.” </p><p>“We’re sorry, (L/N)-sama! We didn’t mean to take so much of your time! We’re all hoping to see your return soon!” the leader of the group said before they all bowed to you and immediately left you alone. </p><p>You gave Kageyama a warm smile and said, “Thank you, Tobio. You really saved me back there.” </p><p>“It’s no problem,” he said and looked away while scratching the back of his neck. “It looked like they were bothering you and you did say you needed help.” </p><p>“I knew you’d come to help me.” you grinned before turning your attention back to what you were previously doing. </p><p>Kageyama relaxed knowing that there wouldn’t be any more distractions for him. Before going back to what he was previously doing, he patted your head and you smiled to yourself in response. Seeing that you were doing better, Kageyama resumed walking to his spot. He paused in his steps when he noticed that the boys were looking at him with proud expressions. </p><p>“Way to go, Kageyama!” Tanaka cheered and slapped him on the shoulder. </p><p>“Shut up!” Kageyama embarrassedly replied before sitting back down on the floor and returned to keeping his focus. </p><hr/><p>The match against Ohgiminami High was in full swing and you were up in the stands with Yachi watching the boys play. Older Ukai had also joined you guys with a couple of his students and the two of you were constantly exchanging critiques and improvements to note down. Rui and Homura also came to support the boys and when Nishinoya noticed them during their warmups, he couldn’t help but excitedly greet them. You all had laughed when Daichi yelled at him to focus and shook your head because some things never changed over the years of knowing him. </p><p>Karasuno started off strong with a no-touch ace and you were proud to see how far they’ve come. Plays that usually got them were being received back such as Daichi noticing a spiker switching to a feint. Tsukishima also improved with his read blocking and there was no more hesitation in the boys’ movements. You smirked to yourself when you realized it was because the boys got the chance to train against some of the top teams in the country. Now with the first set coming to an end with the score being 16-23, you knew that the boys had it in the bag. It was Kageyama’s turn to serve. He received the ball from the referee and you couldn’t help but cheer for him before he settled into his stance. </p><p>“Go for it, Tobio!” you yelled with a bright smile. </p><p>He looked up at you and smirked before taking in a deep breath. Kageyama zeroed in on the spot that he wanted to hit the ball towards and twirled the ball in his hands. Knowing that you were watching, he gave it his all. Everyone watched as the player couldn’t properly receive his serve and you all cheered. Kageyama looked up at you and you met his gaze with a beaming smile. He held his fist up at you with a smirk and you excitedly jumped up and down before holding yours towards his as an air pump. The boys were finally at set point and you crossed your arms to lean against the railings. </p><p>“The boys have improved, huh?” Yachi commented while smiling down at the boys. </p><p>“They most definitely have, it’s only up from here, don’t know you think?” you grinned and watched the boys score the last point. </p><p>Rui and Homura whistled at finally witnessing Kageyama and Hinata’s quick attack. You smirked at their reactions and said, “I told you so~” </p><p>“Tch, I feel like we could do better than them.” Homura huffed and slung an arm over your shoulders. “Especially if Maru-chan was your setter.” </p><p>You grinned at the mention of your former partner in crime. The two of you were unstoppable together but after you guys graduated, Maru ended up moving to the United States to further her volleyball career there. </p><p>“True, I heard that she’s coming back for a bit because she’s on summer vacation,” Rui commented. </p><p>“Eh? She’s lucky.” Homura commented. </p><p>“We should all meet up with her and catch up when she does come.” you grinned. </p><p>“You know what? We should plan a mini-reunion, I think it would be a great idea! Especially since our (Y/N)-chan is back in the game.” Rui smirked and ruffled your hair. </p><p>You rolled your eyes and swatted her hand away. “Yeah, I like the sound of that idea.” </p><p>“Now let’s see how the boys do for the rest of the game.” Homura hummed in thought once the second set had begun. </p><hr/><p>After winning their match against Ohgiminami High, it was finally time for the boys’ second match against Kadokawa High and you bit your bottom lip. While helping the boys with their warm-up, you couldn’t help but notice the change in Hinata’s behavior. You knew that in volleyball, having a great ace or someone unconventionally tall can be the difference between victory and defeat. The player was said to be 6’7 and the assumption was proven true when he passed by the team in the hallway. He towered over everyone and the first years couldn’t help but talk about the height references between Hinata having a blackbelly lantern shark on top of him. <em>‘Tsukishima and his random animal facts…’</em> You shook your head in amusement at the player’s thought process. He was always an unknown enigma and you often just left him to his own devices. </p><p>“Hyakuzawa-san looked so intense up close,” Yachi commented and you laughed. </p><p>“Yeah, taller volleyball players do have that kind of reputation. I mean I’ve heard some players talk about how they’re intimidated by Tsukishima.” </p><p>“Really?” </p><p>“Really, so what we can only do from here is cheer the boys on and have faith in them.” </p><p>You clicked your tongue when Kadokawa High went for a straight shot and even though the boys tried to do a triple block, Hyakuzawa’s height proved to be the reason why he was their ace. He had hit the ball from above them and easily managed to get a point for his team. </p><p>“Tch, they even managed to block Hinata’s feint?” Homura murmured while watching the game. </p><p>“I really hope that it doesn’t discourage him,” Rui added. </p><p>“It’s only the beginning, I’m sure that the boys will bounce back somehow,” Yachi added. </p><p>“It’s a tough call though…” you thought aloud. “Things like height or power are simple, pure strength beyond a certain level that suddenly becomes something that keeps ordinary people away.” </p><p>Rui and Homura nodded in agreement because the three of you had faced a couple of girls that had their growth spurt peak in middle school. They were often tough opponents, but in the end, your team always knew how to pull through and come out victorious in the end. </p><p>“I just hope Shoyo-kun is alright…” Yachi sighed, her eyes glued to the orange-haired boy. </p><p>You smirked and said, “Does someone have a crush on him~?” </p><p>“E-Eh? No, it’s not like that!” Yachi exclaimed while blushing and frantically waving her hands. </p><p>“That looks like the same reaction (Y/N)-chan has whenever we tease her about Kageyama-kun.” Homura snorted. </p><p>“Shut up, boke!” you huffed and bonked her head. </p><p>“See? He’s already rubbing off of her.” She snickered and you puffed out your cheeks. </p><p>“Let’s just focus back on the game.” </p><p>You observed their plays and once Daichi and Nishinoya shared a look, you grinned to yourself. There was nothing to be worried about for now because of how perceptive everyone had become. The captain and libero caught on to one of the weaknesses of their opponents and needed to let the rest of the team know. They called for a timeout to go over their next move and you analyzed Kageyama’s physical status. He had a thoughtful look on his face and kept looking down at his palms. His fingers kept moving and you knew that habit too well. Maru had a similar tendency whenever she felt good on game days and you smirked. <em>‘Looks like he’s in good shape for this match.’ </em></p><p>When the boys returned to the court after their time out, you watched the match resume. You smiled in amusement when the opportunity was given to Kageyama and Hinata. They finally did their super quick and the entire gym went silent for a moment because of how fast the ball had been passed then spiked. You cheered alongside everyone in the crowd when the initial shock wore off because the boys finally found their rhythm against their opponents. You laughed at Daichi yelling at the boys to refocus after cheering for the scored point. The boys’ work ethic was inspiring and you knew you were going to take some of their antics to the girl's team when the tournament was all over. It was reassuring to see that Hinata also returned to normal and there was no more doubt in his face. </p><p>The game ended up being close and you noticed that it was an internal battle against Hinata and Hyakuzawa. But in the end, the boys managed to beat the team with all of the new weapons they had been honing down on during their training in Tokyo. Everyone cheered for Karasuno’s victory and you warmly smiled when Kageyama searched for you in the crowd. You leaned over the railing when he saw you and gave him your dimpled smile. </p><p>“Nice game, Tobio!” </p><p>“Osu!” he smirked back before the boys took his attention away and celebrated together on the court. </p><hr/><p>The sun was finally setting and a huge wave of relief washed over you. After the game ended, the boys still wanted to check out the competition, and you, Homura, and Rui spent the extra time catching up with old friends that also showed up to watch the games. It was always hard at the end of tournaments because the one thing that everyone wanted to do was sleep, but all of the gyms had to be cleaned up and torn down. While the boys did all the labor in the gym, the girls were tasked with packing all the equipment into the bus.</p><p>“Do we have everything?” Yachi asked as the three of you brought all of the things to the bus. </p><p>“I think so, I can go over everything here,” Shimizu said as she began to check off all of the bags by the open carrier. </p><p>“Then I’ll go make sure that no one’s forgotten anything,” you suggested. </p><p>“Alright, don’t be late!” Yachi grinned. </p><p>You lazily waved and headed towards the spot where you guys stayed throughout the day. Once you arrived, you shook your head in amusement when you found Hinata’s lunch box tucked in a corner. You bent down to pick it up and was about to head back to everyone when you bumped into something hard. </p><p>“Ah! (L/N)-san, it’s nice to see you again.” Terushima greeted with a wide smile. </p><p>“Terushima-san,” you greeted and nodded in acknowledgment. You realized that his friend from earlier was also behind him and greeted him as well.</p><p>“Is there anything that you needed?” </p><p>“I’m glad I caught you before you left. I was wondering if I could have your number.” </p><p>“Not interested.” you deadpanned. </p><p>“I’m not trying anything, I swear! My little sister looks up to you and I was wondering if you wanted to meet her!” </p><p>His friend snickered at his answer and you rolled your eyes. “You’re lying.” </p><p>Terushima huffed and held clasped his hands together. His facial expression softened with a determined glint in his eyes. He sighed before meeting your gaze once more. “Look I feel like you can be the one to help her, please (L/N)-san.” he insisted. </p><p>“Wha-?” Before you could finish your sentence, an orange blur stopped in front of you. Hinata was standing in front of you with his arms stretched out and began to hurriedly push you away. </p><p>“Sorry! That’s my lunch box!” he exclaimed, “Let’s go, (Y/N)-chan!” </p><p>Before the two of you could reach the exit, Terushima had pulled Hinata away from you and tried to continue your conversation from before. </p><p>“Please! You were her idol and she’s planning on- Woah, what the hell?!” </p><p> “Excuse me!” Hinata said as he jumped in between you and Terushima. He stretched his arms wide as before and continued, “(Y/N)-chan is our p-precious manager, um, um…” </p><p>“Eh? So you’re the shrimp that beat the 6’7 guy.” Terushima excitedly smiled. </p><p>“Huh? Well, yeah…” </p><p>Terushima sighed and rested his hands on his hips. “Man, I wanted to play that 6’7 guy, too. Matches are super fun, aren’t they?” </p><p>“Um, are you one of the teams that got past the preliminary round?” Hinata asked. </p><p>“Prelims? We didn’t play in the prelims.” </p><p>Hinata’s jaw dropped and said, “Then you were in the top eight teams from the Inter-High preliminaries?” </p><p>“Ah, maybe it was top four.” he casually said and turned his attention back to you. “See ya. If we ever go against each other in the decider tournament, let’s have some fun and play.” </p><p>He patted Hinata’s head and grinned at you. “Guess I’ll just have to try another time~” </p><p>You let out a sigh of relief when Terushima left and handed Hinata his lunch box. “Thanks for saving my ass back there Shoyo.” </p><p>“I-It was nothing! I had to do it since Noya-san and Tanaka-san weren’t here. I also think Kageyama would kill me if I let anything happen to you.” </p><p>“I’m so glad to have you as a friend, Shoyo.” you grinned and patted his head. “Let’s get going yeah?” </p><p>While walking back to the team, it bothered you about what Terushima was trying to tell you. It did seem when you first met that he was trying to get at you, but his last words about his younger sister made an impact on you. You weren’t sure how you could be the only person that could help her with whatever she was struggling with. With a sigh, you mentally weight out your options: if you gave him the chance to explain himself, you could gain a new friend in the process and also help someone; if you end up bumping into him and act as if nothing happened, he might pester you even more and then make the situation into something bigger than it should be.<em> ‘Ah, we’ll see if he still remembers. I’m pretty sure we’ll cross paths again in October for the qualifiers. And if we do get a chance to talk…I guess I’ll listen to what he has to say.’</em> </p><p>“Oi, are you okay?” </p><p>You were brought out of your thoughts when Kageyama stood in front of you. He had a concerned look on your face and you smiled at him. “Yeah, I’m fine.” </p><p>“You looked spaced out just now, are you sure? I heard what happened from Hinata,” he asked while searching your face for any hint. </p><p>Shaking your head, you tiredly hugged his arm and breathed in his comforting scent. </p><p>“It’s okay Tobio, Hinata came at the right time and I’m just feeling tired,” you murmured and the two of you began to make your way to the bus with everyone else. </p><p>“Good, because I don’t know what I’d do if I found out something actually did,” he murmured before reaching out for your hand and squeezing it. </p><p><em>‘I wouldn’t know what I’d do if you were to slip away from me now.’</em> He thought to himself once you two settled in your seats on the bus. </p><p>You were looking out the window while waiting for the bus to take off and today showed him just how many admirers you had. He wanted to keep you to himself, especially after getting to see so many sides that no one else ever got to see. He wanted to be the person you would go to at the end of each day. He wanted to protect you. He wanted to be by your side every step of the way. He wanted you to only look at him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. - 18 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>With school back in session, your schedule with the girl’s volleyball team finally collides with your time as the boys’ manager. It’s something you’ve put off for a while and finally have to address with the team.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I swear I can never come up with great summaries for the chapters, HAHA Also pls go easy on me when using and describing a volleyball match. I tried my best to use the terms and callouts correctly while giving you a picture of what’s going on. I hope you guys enjoy it! Then lastly like always, this will be cross-posted on Tumblr as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the first day back to school after the summer break and you tiredly stretched your arms over your head while making your way towards your locker. Conversations filled the air from students catching up with one another and you covered your mouth to stifle a yawn that was coming. After passing the qualifiers for Miyagi, the boys either spent their time relaxing before school resumed or tried to finish all of their summer homework that was forgotten about. In your case, you weren’t surprised when Kageyama sheepishly asked to help him catch up on homework. The poor boy had only managed to answer fill in the blank questions and only started a paragraph for an essay he had. So, with only a week left of freedom, the two of you met up every day to make sure he was all caught up. Not that either of you complained since that meant being together undisturbed. Some days were spent doing homework at your place and if you noticed that Kageyama wasn’t concentrating, you’d gather all of your things to take a break and walk around the neighborhood. You’d pick up a couple of snacks and drinks from Sakanoshita while avoiding Ukai’s teasing whenever he was there. Then you would both make your way back to the park to relax for a bit before spending the rest of the afternoon working on whatever assignment was agreed upon. If he noticed that you were trying your best to not let him worry about your own being, he’d tell you to take a break while he worked on his stuff. Even though you were doubtful about letting yourself enjoy some time to yourself, he’d just reassure you he’d be fine by comparing your notes to his. Then without another word, he’d offer his shoulder or lap for you to take a quick nap to refresh yourself. <b><br/></b></p><p>Prior to meeting up, you and Kageyama had planned a schedule to make sure no all-nighters were to happen, the initial plans were immediately scrapped. As much as you tried to get things done, you and Kageyama couldn’t help but get distracted most of the time. On one of the days, it was too hot to stay concentrated so the two of you ended up getting ice cream to cool down. This then led to you two trying to steal ice cream off of each other’s cups and chasing each other around the neighborhood. Another day, your mom needed help with an order for her bakery and asked you two for help on one of your breaks. This led to a mini competitive activity to see who could fill in the most cream puffs with its filling. By the end of it, Kageyama was dusted in powdered sugar while there was whipped cream all over your hands and face. With other small moments throughout the week, on the last night of vacation, you had stayed up most of the night with Kageyama through Skype to make sure all of his assignments were completed. You didn’t know when you fell asleep, but you woke up to your mom shaking you awake saying that it was time to get ready. When you looked back to your screen, it showed that Kageyama had ended the meeting at one point and texted you right after. </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>“I’m going on a run before practice, I’ll see you at school. Thank you for helping me, I appreciate you so much.” </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Upon reaching your locker, you sighed and opened it to grab your indoor pair of shoes. Your hand paused mid-reach and a smile crept onto your face when you noticed a small can of coffee sitting inside. While changing your shoes, you took off the small note that was stuck on the top of the can to read it. </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>“Sorry for keeping you up late, I know you must be tired. Here’s a little pick me up for the first half of the day. - Tobio” </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>You tucked the coffee into the pocket of your blazer and bent down to put your outdoor shoes away. After closing your locker, you made your way towards your classroom and immediately texted Kageyama. </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>“Thank you for the coffee, this will definitely help me get through the day! ^^~” </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>“Oi! (Y/N)!!” a female voice called out to you.</p><p>“Ah Aoki, good morning!” you greeted your setter as she walked up to you. Manami Aoki was the first year setter in the girl’s volleyball club and became your partner ever since you started training with them. You also found out that she was also in your class and sat diagonally from you.</p><p>“We missed you at practice this morning, did someone oversleep today?” she joked and poked your cheek. </p><p>“I guess you could say that,” you laughed and took out the coffee from your pocket. “Summer assignments are always a killer to do.” </p><p>You grinned at the satisfying click of the can opening up and took a sip of the drink. The familiar taste of the sweet vanilla cream immediately brightened your mood. <em>‘This was very much needed. Caffeine is definitely my lifeline when it comes down to it.’</em></p><p>“Right~? I had to ask my older sister for some help with the math packet we got. Those equations are never going to stick with me.” she whined. </p><p>You patted her shoulders in a reassuring matter and said, “If you need help with any of this week’s assignments, we can go over it together during lunch or in the club room once practice is over.” </p><p>“Really?! (Y/N), you really are a godsend for us,” she replied and hugged your arm. </p><p>“I always gotta have my partner’s back, right?” you winked as the two of you rounded the corner and entered the hallway where all of the first-year classrooms were located. </p><p>“I’ll pay you back somehow!” she promised and then suddenly snapped her fingers. “That’s right, the reason why I wanted to talk to you is that Coach wanted me to tell you that we have a practice game today.” </p><p>“Eh?! Really?!” you exclaimed. </p><p>She laughed and said, “What, are you scared?” </p><p>You scoffed and rolled your eyes while entering your classroom. “Absolutely not, I…just haven’t told the boys yet.” </p><p>“(Y/N)!” </p><p>“I know, I know!” you pouted and put your hands up in defense. </p><p>“Why haven’t you told them yet, especially if you knew that sometimes our schedules could intertwine with each other?” she asked and sat down at her desk. </p><p>While hanging your bag on its hook, you shrugged and said, “I just couldn’t find the right time…” </p><p>“Well, what are you going to do about this afternoon then? We all know that the boys are going to stay late for their practice.” </p><p>“I’ll talk to the teachers about it,” you murmured and took a sip of your coffee. Your phone buzzed in your pocket and you looked down to see that Kageyama had replied back to your text. </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p><em>“Good, I’ll see you when class is over.”</em> </p>
</blockquote><p>You grinned but your smile immediately faltered. Over the previous week, you wanted to tell Kageyama about your progress with the girl’s team. But each time that you managed to build up enough courage, you got scared and kept telling yourself that the next time was going to be the right time. Now that there was going to be a practice game after school and you’d have to leave in the middle of the boys’ practice, you knew there was no use in hiding it anymore. You didn’t want the team to think you were abandoning them or being selfish. They had grown to become your closest friends at Karasuno and you treasured their presence in your life. You just didn’t know what would happen if you told them that you were going to be juggling both their team and being a part of the girl’s team. <em>‘There’s also the next school year too…’ </em></p><p>“Oi, everything will be fine,” Aoki reassured and you settled into your seat. </p><p>“I really hope so…” you murmured once the teacher entered the room and you looked out the window trying to figure out what your next move was going to be.</p><hr/><p>The final bell of the day rang and you laid your head on top of your desk. Throughout the entire day, you tried to come up with the best way to tell the boys about your decision. During one of your breaks, you even tried talking to Takeda-sensei but he was more excited about the fact that you were going to be a part of the girl’s volleyball team. Ukai wasn’t on campus during school hours so you couldn’t reach out to him for his opinion, so you were left to your thoughts for the rest of the day. <em>‘Ugh…I don’t know what to do…’ </em></p><p>You felt bad inside because as much as you enjoyed hanging out with the rest of the first years, your mind was always wandering away. Kageyama had noticed the change in your behavior and his concerned gazes burned through you during each break. Even your feeble attempts to redirect his attention to something else, you knew that he was holding himself back from asking more questions. You were thankful that he understood it wasn’t the right time for him to hear what was on your mind, but with the minutes ticking down to their practice, you dreaded heading to the clubroom. </p><p>“(Y/N), aren’t you going to go change?” Aoki asked when she approached your desk. </p><p>You whined and ruffled your hair before pushing yourself up from the desk. “I don’t know what to tell them, Aoki.” </p><p>She smiled at you and patted your shoulders. “You’ll be fine. Seeing the boys and how much you talk about them, I’m pretty sure they’re going to be your own personal fan club.” </p><p>With a snort, you got up from your seat and slung your bag over your shoulder. “Yeah, in my dreams.” </p><p>“You’re overthinking it, (Y/N). Just say what’s from your heart and everything will work out.” </p><p>She grinned and you sighed in defeat. “I hope so. Wish me luck then?” </p><p>Aoki nodded and the two of you walked towards the gyms together. While making your way over, you couldn’t calm the rapid pounding of your heart. With each step closer, you felt as if there was a cotton ball stuck in your throat while your hands began to slightly tremble. Aoki noticed that you had grown silent on the walk over and looked over to see a spaced-out look on your face. With a small smile, she reached out and linked her arm with yours. She knew how anxious you could get sometimes after getting to know you over the month that you’ve been training with the team. You were always concerned about your injury and expressed that you were scared to disappoint the team as a newcomer despite the reputation you held. </p><p>She squeezed one of your hands and it helped snap you out of your thoughts. You looked over to her and she warmly gazed at you. </p><p>“Okay?” </p><p>“Yeah, thanks…” you murmured as you stopped in front of the clubrooms. </p><p>“I’ll see you in an hour then?” she asked while searching your face for reassurance. </p><p>With a small smile, you nodded and opened the door to the club room to see that some of the boys were already there. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were going over some notes from earlier that day while Tanaka and Nishinoya were messing around with Hinata. Kageyama was filing down his nails in the corner and you waved goodbye to Aoki. Stepping into the room, you greeted everyone and walked towards the shelf that had your duffel bag. </p><p>“Are you going to kill us with drills again, (Y/N)-chan?” Tanaka joked while you switched bags. </p><p>“I don’t know, maybe. It depends on my mood today,” you smirked and looked over your shoulder with a mischievous glint in your eyes. </p><p>He gulped when he felt a menacing aura around you and you immediately dropped the act. You laughed and said, “You’re so easy to tease Ryu-nii.” </p><p>“C’mere you brat!” he laughed and tried to get back at you. You stuck your tongue out at him and immediately ran for the door. </p><p>“See you later,” you saluted and he shook his fist at you with everyone else laughing at your banter. </p><p>You quickly went to the girls’ changing room and changed as fast as you could. Since it was still pretty early and everyone was still trickling in to get ready for practice, you wanted to talk to Ukai before making the announcement in front of the team. While making your way into the gym, you braided your hair and greeted Ukai who was bringing out the basket of volleyballs. </p><p>“Coach,” you greeted and made your way towards him. </p><p>“What’s up, kid?” he asked and turned his attention on you. With a hand on his hip, he nodded at you as a greeting. </p><p>“So you know how the girl’s team has a practice game today?” you asked. </p><p>Ukai nodded and said, “Oh yeah, you’re free to leave whenever you need to.” </p><p>“That’s not what I was going to ask…” you sheepishly smiled. </p><p>“Oh,” Ukai cleared his throat and continued, “So what did you want to talk about?” he asked. </p><p>“Do you think I made the right decision?” you asked while playing with the tips of your hair. </p><p>He sighed and his gaze softened when he noticed the doubt in your eyes. Ukai wasn’t that good with words, but he certainly did notice a better change in you ever since you started practicing with the girls. You were more present at practice and had more fun with yourself. The precision you had in your movements had sharpened whenever you partnered up with someone for drills. Ukai was confident to say that if you were to take an assessment to see your stats on the ability parameter, you’d have moved up from a three to a four or even five in some aspects. There was always a passionate look in your eyes whenever you managed to spike the ball against some of the tallest players on the team or successfully blocked a play. He understood why you still had your doubts but after today, Ukai was sure that you were starting the next part of your journey. </p><p>Crossing his arms, he nodded towards the benches and the two of you made your way over. Once you sat down, he looked at the court and said, “I can’t really be the one to tell you if you did or didn’t.” </p><p>You purse your lips and sighed at his response. It was an obvious answer you were expecting to hear, but you had hoped that he had a different look at things. </p><p>“Look, I know you’re worried about what the boys would think and how your injury might affect you. But have you taken a step back to see all the good that has happened to you ever since you joined the girls?” </p><p>You shook your head and he smirked. “I know this big change can be scary, I was like that when Takeda tried to get me to be the coach for these boys. But change is a good thing.” </p><p>“Really?” </p><p>Ukai nodded and said, “I had big shoes to fit and I didn’t think that I could. But these kids were depending on me and I didn’t have time to doubt myself. Hell, before I came back to Karasuno, I only casually played with the Neighbor’s Association but these kids reminded me just how much I loved volleyball.” </p><p>“They do have that effect on people.” you chuckled. </p><p>“See? And if there’s one thing that I could take away from your relationship with the boys is that they care about you. They were the ones that helped you embrace volleyball again, right?” </p><p>You nodded along to his words while playing with your fingers. A small smile crept onto your face when you remembered the third years constantly pestering you to be a manager. You remembered how Kageyama was blunt with you when you were being indecisive and Hinata always believed in you from the very beginning. But more than anything, it was Nishinoya’s support that shone through everything. He was there for you through thick and thin while helping mend the pieces of your broken dream when you were at your lowest. <em>‘I don’t know what I’d do without them…’</em> Ukai smiled at your response and he leaned over, resting his elbows on the top of his knees then clasped his hands together. You looked at him and he shrugged. </p><p>“I think your reaction speaks louder than your thoughts. You’ve improved skill-wise ever since you joined the girls and it’s shown in your performance with the boys. You out of anyone else should know that the boys would never turn their backs on you. They’re not like that.” </p><p>“Good afternoon!” you heard Asahi and Sugawara greet when they walked through the doors. </p><p>Ukai patted you on the shoulders and said, “Did you want to do it before we begin practice or before you need to leave?” </p><p>They waved hello to the both of you before walking towards the storage room to grab the rest of the equipment needed for practice. You sighed and pushed yourself off of the bench to go help them. Ukai stood up as well and stretched his arms over his head while waiting for your response. </p><p>You were thankful for the insight Ukai gave you and so you bowed your head to show your thanks. “I’ll tell them once they’re all here. I want to give them time to process things while I’m not there.” </p><p>He nodded in understanding and ruffled your hair. “You’re gonna do great, kid.” </p><p>“Thanks, coach.” You smiled before catching up to Asahi and Sugawara. </p><hr/><p>“Alright, gather around everyone!” Ukai yelled once Takeda-sensei walked through the doors with Kiyoko and Yachi at his sides. </p><p>You gulped when everyone took a seat in front of the faculty members and gripped the edge of your practice shirt. He took a seat on the chair that was next to the whiteboard and said, “Before we start the drills for today, there is an announcement that needs to be made.” </p><p>The boys looked at him in anticipation since there wasn’t anything important coming up on the schedule. He looked over at you who was sitting at the back of the group and nodded. Closing your eyes, you took in a deep breath before standing up and walking to where the adults were. You could feel everyone staring at you with curiosity in their eyes and you gave them a small smile once you faced them. Looking down, you tightly clasped your hands together before meeting their gazes once more. <em>‘This is it.’</em></p><p>“I know this is coming out of the blue and you must be wondering why I’m up here to talk to you guys.” </p><p>The boys patiently waited for you to continue when they saw you trying your best to put the right words together. Some of them wondered what it could be while Daichi smiled to himself. He knew what you were about to say and was happy to see you finally have the courage to take the next step. They saw you take in a shaky breath and listened to each word that left your mouth.</p><p>“I haven’t exactly been honest with everyone,” you said and watched as Kageyama raised an eyebrow and Nishinoya’s jaw drop. “During the times that I’ve said that I was helping my mom, I was actually doing something else.” </p><p>“What were you doing then, (Y/N)-chan?” Sugawara asked with a curious look on his face. </p><p>You looked over to Daichi who was sitting next to the grey-haired setter and he gave you an encouraging nod. Straightening yourself up, you said, “I was invited to be a part of the girl’s volleyball club and have been practicing with them for the past month.” </p><p>“I know I should have told you guys from the very beginning,” you earnestly said, “But just like how I came to be your manager, I wanted to make sure that my decision to join the girl’s volleyball team was solid. When I first started practicing with them, I just wanted to test the waters. There was a part of me that couldn’t see myself playing on another team anymore, but the more that I went to their practices, the more I could see myself being on the court again.” </p><p>You grinned slightly when some of their jaws dropped and Hinata let out an excited gasp. “Wait, you’re officially back to playing volleyball now?!” </p><p>With a nod, you held your hands behind your back before continuing, “I didn’t mean to hide this from everyone and I guess the timing today just pushed me to tell you guys my decision.” </p><p>“What do you mean?” Nishinoya asked. </p><p>“The girls have a practice match today which is why after helping you guys warm-up, I will be taking my leave to do my own warmups.” </p><p>You bowed in front of them and finished off your announcement by saying, “I hope you guys can understand and you’ll be able to support me! I’m not going to leave you guys either! Since we’re off-season right now, I’ll still be able to be your manager to the very end!” </p><p>The boys were silent and you tightly squeezed your eyes in your position. <em>‘I knew I should have just told them from the very beginning. I shouldn’t have asked Daichi to keep it a secret and most of all I should’ve told Kageyama when I found out. They’re gonna be-’ </em></p><p>“Congratulations on making the girl’s team, (Y/N)!” </p><p>
  <em>‘…What…?’</em>
</p><p>You shot up to see the entire team standing up with proud faces on their faces. Nishinoya couldn’t hold in his excitement and immediately ran towards you to engulf you in a huge hug. </p><p>“You finally did it! You’re finally going to play again!” </p><p>Seeing their warm reaction, you couldn’t help but get teary-eyed at the welcoming support they were giving you. Ukai was right, the boys were going to support you no matter what and you were so happy from their reaction. You wrapped your arms around Nishinoya, trying to calm down the emotions that were bubbling over. </p><p>“Welcome back,” he murmured and let you go. He was teary-eyed too and you laughed. </p><p>“W-Why are you crying?” </p><p>He sniffed and said, “I don’t know! You got emotional so I got emotional, okay?!” </p><p>You wiped some of the stray tears that managed to escape and everyone made their rounds to share their support. </p><p>“I know you’ll be doing great things.” Sugawara smiled. </p><p>“You’re going to kill it on the court today!” Tanaka smirked and slapped your back. </p><p>“Tch, always gotta go where the grass is greener huh?” Tsukishima teased. You rolled your eyes and smirked. “Aw, don’t miss me too much light post.” </p><p>“I’m happy for you, (Y/N)-chan.” Yamaguchi smiled and hugged you. </p><p>“(Y/N)-chan…” Yachi started and looked at you with teary eyes. “This is so amazing for you! I’m so excited to see where this takes you!” </p><p>“(Y/N)-chan! I can’t wait to see you play in an official match!” Hinata happily said while jumping up and down. </p><p>You laughed at his reaction and nodded. “Mm, I’ll make sure to let you know when our first official match is when we start up again.” </p><p>Finally, Kageyama walked up to you and you gave him a small smile. He sighed and crossed his arms while meeting your gaze. “Is this why you’ve been so spaced out all day?” </p><p>You nodded and bit your bottom lip. “I didn’t mean to keep this from you.”</p><p>“Did you really think that we weren’t going to support you?” he asked with an arched eyebrow. </p><p>Defeated, you nodded again and played with the edge of your shirt. “I couldn’t stop thinking of all the worst-case scenarios.” </p><p>He was silent for a bit and you understood his actions because you hid something very important from him. You promised to tell each other everything and you had broken that promise. If he was going to give you the cold shoulder, you would welcome his actions because of what you did. But you were proven wrong when he lightly bonked you on the head. </p><p>“Boke, you should know better than that,” he muttered and ruffled your hair before walking away. </p><p>“You’re not mad?” you asked. </p><p>He smirked and looked over his shoulder before joining the boys who were already lining up for the first drill. “Mad? No. Proud? Yes. I finally get to see how strong you are on the court.” </p><p>You let out a relieved sigh when he lazily waved goodbye and turned towards Ukai and Takeda-sensei. They patted your shoulders and said their congratulations. </p><p>“Good luck today, (L/N)-san.” Takeda smiled. </p><p>“Kill it on the court,” Ukai smirked. </p><p>Now filled with more confidence, you smiled and nodded. “Of course, I won’t let you down!” </p><hr/><p>“Oi, center!” you called and ran from your position after one of the girls bumped the ball towards Aoki. </p><p>“Give it to me! I’m gonna tear them into pieces!” you yelled and kept your eyes on the ball in the air.</p><p>“(Y/N)!” she yelled and you ran for the ball being set towards you. </p><p>You jumped up and smirked when you found an open spot to spike the ball. The game against Shirato Girls’ Academy was already in their third set. Your team had managed to get the first set while your opponents won the second set. They were a pretty good team and you were chasing each other to get a point. The score was currently tied at 22-22 and you could feel that the girls were hungry to finally have a win despite it being a practice match. You hit the ball with all your might and cheered when it flew past the two blockers and into the spot you were aiming at. </p><p>“Alright!” </p><p>“Nice one, (Y/N)!” </p><p>“Let’s get another one!” </p><p>With a bright smile, you high-fived your teammates while moving into the next rotation. </p><p>“Oh we’re definitely going to get it,” you smirked. </p><p>Your body was humming with excitement after being dormant for so long. The familiar adrenaline that rushed through your veins, the yells and cheers from your teammates, the sound of the ball being hit; all of it was deeply missed. Muscle memory took over once it found its groove during the second half of the first set and all that you saw was the ball. Your focus was sharp every time the ball was in the air and you did your best to never let it touch the ground. </p><p>“Let’s get an ace this time then we can take the win!” your captain cheered. </p><p>You walked towards the serving line and hyped yourself up when your coach, who was acting as the referee for the match, passed the ball to you. <em>‘Let’s do this.’ </em></p><p>While you were zoned in to get a no-touch ace with your serve, the boys had quietly filed into the second floor of the gym. Ukai finally gave in to let the boys watch the game after constantly pestering him to let them go after successfully completing their drills. They lined up against the railings and looked down at the match. The boys were surprised to see the total change in your demeanor. Sure you were strict with them while doing drills, but this was a whole different persona they’ve never seen. There was a different look in your eye as if a million different calculations were going on in your head while you twirled the ball in your hands. You had a certain cockiness in your demeanor with the cheeky glint in your eyes and the slight smirk that played on your lips.</p><p>“Geeze, I can feel her presence all the way from up here,” Daichi muttered as the whistle was blown. “I forgot how easily she could take control of the court.” </p><p>“She looks so intimidating,” Yamaguchi commented and peeked behind Tsukishima’s shoulder. </p><p>Kageyama hummed in agreement as he watched you bounce the ball a couple of times, taking all of the time that was needed to serve. You tossed the ball up in the air and ran towards the ball to serve it. His jaw dropped at the loud impact the ball made and he couldn’t believe just how strong you were with your serve. The ball instantly hit the ground before the other team could hit it and you smirked. <em>‘Beautiful…’</em> The fierce look in your eye was one he knew all too well because he had that same look whenever he did a successful serve. </p><p>“(Y/N)-CHAN!!!!” Nishinoya and Hinata screamed and you whipped your head towards the direction of his voice.</p><p>You gaped at the boys who were all leaning against the railings. They all looked at you excitedly and cheered you on. </p><p>“You got this!” <br/>“Kill it!”<br/>“The Firecracker makes its return!” </p><p>“What are you guys doing here?!” you exclaimed while you caught the volleyball once more to serve again. </p><p>“We’re here to cheer you on, boke!” Kageyama yelled back and you grinned at the warm gaze he gave you. </p><p>“Win this!” Yachi cheered. </p><p>With a shake of your head, you resumed your position and decided to try and do a jump serve. Twirling the ball in your hands once more, the familiar warmth in your hands signaled that you were in good shape. You took in a deep breath to zero in on where you wanted the ball to go and focused on the player that was weak at receiving. Once you tossed the ball up in the air, you controlled the strength in your arm and hit it. </p><p>“Ah shit,” you cursed underneath your breath when you noticed that it fell short and not before the player you were aiming at. The libero from the other team managed to dig the serve. </p><p>“Sorry, let’s try to stop them!” you yelled and got into position. </p><p>“Right!” the girls replied. </p><p>You watched as the ball was passed towards the other team’s setter and their ace was going for the ball. She was diagonally from you on the opposite side of the court and you saw her eyes zero in on Aoki. You clicked your tongue and were ready to back up Aoki if needed. </p><p>“She’s going for a cross-shot!” one of your teammates called out after managing to touch it in the process. </p><p>“Aoki!” you yelled. </p><p>“I got it!” she called out. “Wait-” </p><p>Unfortunately, her receive wasn’t done correctly and the ball was going out of the court. </p><p>“Not on my watch!” you yelled and ran for the ball. “I got it!” </p><p>You dove for it and managed to hit the ball back towards the team. “Oi, cover!” </p><p>“Nice save!” the girls yelled and you nodded in acknowledgment. </p><p>One of the girls managed to hit the ball over the net and you ran back towards your previous position. The ball was easily received on the other side once more and you watched as your blockers managed to touch the ball once again. </p><p>“One-touch!” they yelled. </p><p>Your captain managed to dig the ball and hit it towards Aoki to set it. She met your gaze and you smirked in response. She was going for a quick and as she set the ball, you ran towards it and jumped in the air. The other team tried to build a wall with three blockers but their efforts were futile. You aimed and hit the ball upwards just to graze the blocker's fingers. With a cheeky smirk, you landed on the ground and watched the other team try to dive for the ball that had already hit the ground. </p><p>“Gotcha!” you snickered.</p><p>“YES!” you cheered with your teammates and the whistle was blown indicating that the game had ended. </p><p>The boys watched in awe, trying to process what they had just seen on the court. You were fast and quick on your feet. Hell, it looked like you were a combination of Daichi and Nishinoya on the court. Your spikes were fast and well-calculated although sometimes they came up short. Your match showed just how much of a reliable player you were on the court but also was also a serious opponent to look out for. Kageyama smirked and he felt a huge surge of pride through him knowing that you were the girl he was falling for. Finally getting to see you in your element after so long made him want to support you as much as he could. He wanted to set for you whenever that chance could be presented. </p><p>You looked up to see Kageyama already looking down at you. He had a rare smile on his face and you beamed up at him. He nodded at you while your teammates surrounded you and you held up your fist in response. With a chuckle, he air bumped your fist and yelled, “Good game, (Y/N)!” </p><p>“Osu!” </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. - 19 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>During the two months that the boys have before the Spring Nationals, Kageyama does recon and your schedule starts to look more hectic. Then during one of your trips to Tokyo for another training camp, Bokuto decides to have his talk with Kageyama and it makes him realize some things about himself.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello you beautiful souls, here is the next part of the series! Kind of a filler, kind of not in a sense LMAO Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy this update! A friendly reminder to drink some water and take care of yourselves :) I know where I live it’s been raining on and off with the weather being pretty chilly. We can’t get sick now, can we?  As always, this has also been posted on Tumblr as well &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Tobio, what are you wearing?” <b><br/></b></p><p>You curiously stared at him and he jumped at the sound of your voice. He slowly turned towards your direction and you couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. After making sure that the boys were settled with the day’s practice, you were about to make your way towards the girl’s gym. It was an individual practice that day and some of the boys had asked for some new drills to do. There were less than two months until the qualifiers at the end of October, so everyone was doing their best to be at the top of their game. So after showing some drills that you used to do during your volleyball camp, Ukai had let you off for the day. </p><p>He straightened himself up and said, “What? You could tell it was me?” </p><p>Leaning against the doorframe, you smiled in amusement and nodded towards the outfit he was wearing. He donned a black hoodie and tried to hide his identity with sunglasses and a hat. It was cute to see his attempt to not look inconspicuous. He huffed at your reaction and you walked towards him. </p><p>“Yeah, you were pretty easy to spot.” you chuckled and looked up at him. </p><p>“Damn it,” he muttered before taking off his hat and sunglasses. You reached up and fixed some stray strands of hair that were disheveled. </p><p>“Were you trying to be in disguise?” you grinned. </p><p>Kageyama’s shoulders drooped when you asked and you couldn’t help but pinch his cheek. He playfully glared at you before grasping your hand and looking away from you. </p><p>“Out of everyone we might face in the qualifiers, there’s one team I want to watch at any cost.” </p><p>You nodded in understanding and squeezed his hand to signal him that you were listening to what he had to say. It was a normal thing for teams to try and do recon before a major tournament in order to get to know their possible opponents better. You’ve heard what had happened earlier that year and you assumed that Aoba Johsai was the team he was referring to. </p><p>“It’s not like anything will happen just because I go watch. There are less than two months till the qualifiers since summer break is over.” Kageyama sighed and crossed his arms. “I felt like I should definitely check them out.” </p><p>“Y’know,” you said and gently took the hat and sunglasses from his grasp. “If you don’t want to stand out at a school after school hours, I think it’s best to just wear plain training gear. All of the clubs would already be in their practice clothes so if you did the same and act as you went there, no one would know.” </p><p>His eyes widened at the realization and you chuckled at the adorable expression on your face. </p><p>“You might be onto something…” he murmured. </p><p>You grinned cheekily and said, “I know.” </p><p>“So you’re off to practice then?” he asked and softly gazed down at you. </p><p>With a nod, you motioned towards the brace that was wrapped around your knee. “I got the extra support today just in case.” </p><p>He raised an eyebrow and playfully pushed your head down. “Yeah, you gotta be careful with that knee of yours. You pushed yourself too much at your practice match.” </p><p>You whined and tried to swat his hand away but he was still too strong. With a chuckle, you grasped his wrist and said, “I know, I know. That’s why I have a brace to wear for every practice now.”</p><p>When he let go, Kageyama shook his head in amusement and smirked. “Good, we can’t have you be out before being in season. You’ve just made your return.” </p><p>“Tch, I’ll catch up to you in no time.” you cheekily responded and he bent down so your faces were at the same level. </p><p>“You better hurry up or else I’m going to leave you behind.” </p><p>“In your dreams, Tobio. I’m going to be right beside you, just you wait.” </p><p>Kageyama admired the fiery look in your eyes while you smirked at each other. He loved the new confident aura that you carried. Rather than seeing the constant doubt and yearning to be on the court with them, you were now one of the first ones on the floor filled with excitement. This new part of you that he got to see every day was a part that Kageyama would never get tired of seeing. With a sigh, he straightened himself up and began to make his way towards the school gate. </p><p>“I’ll walk you home later?” he asked while walking back to face you. </p><p>“Yeah, I’ll see you then.” you grinned and waved until he was out of sight. </p><hr/><p>It was dark out when you finally stepped out of the girl’s gym and you slung your bag over your shoulders. You and the girls had just finished cleaning up the gym when Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita walked up the stairs.</p><p>“How was practice?” Ennoshita asked while the rest of the girls waved goodbye to you. </p><p>“Tiring, but at least now I can take a break while making sure you guys don’t slack off.” you joked. </p><p>The three boys laughed and Narita pointed towards the gym that everyone else was practicing in. </p><p>“We wanted to practice on doing synchronized attacks so we’re just waiting for Shimizu-san and Tanaka-san to join us. Everyone else just started practicing their serves,” he informed. </p><p>“Oh, okay! I’ll go see what I can help with then.” You grinned and began to make your way over. </p><p>“Don’t overwork yourself, (Y/N)-san!” Kinoshita reminded you. </p><p>“Osu!” </p><p>After the boys disappeared through the doors, you made the short walk over to the other gym and greeted everyone. They all greeted back before continuing their practice and you walked towards the wall where everyone left their things. Setting down your bags, you grabbed your water bottle to rehydrate after a long practice. Yachi walked up to you with a clipboard and passed it to you. </p><p>“These are the stats that were taken down today during their mock game if you’d like to transfer them into your notebook.” </p><p>“Oh thanks, Yachi-chan, I’ll do that when I get home tonight.” you grinned and took it from her hands. </p><p>“Oi, what was that for?!” Tanaka yelled and you turned around to see that he was on the ground rubbing his head. </p><p>“Sorry!” Nishinoya said and you laughed after connecting the two dots together. </p><p>“Did you just hit Ryu-nii in the head?!” you asked. </p><p>Nishinoya sheepishly shrugged his shoulders and stuck his tongue out at you. “I already said sorry! It wasn’t my fault he wasn’t paying attention!” </p><p>“Ryu-nii, you’re also needed at the girl’s gym!” you added and he gave you the ‘okay’ sign. </p><p>“Let me just get one more serve in and I’ll head right over!” he grinned and picked up a ball. </p><p>“Oh, Kageyama survives!” Hinata said and you looked over to see him meeting up with Kageyama by the door. </p><p>You watched as he walked in and there was a thoughtful look on his face. “I…I may never be able to win against Oikawa.” </p><p><em>‘Oikawa…?’</em> You thought to yourself and tried to remember who that was. The name sounded familiar to you and when it finally hit, you snapped your fingers. <em>‘Ah, he was the pretty boy in that old photo Tobio showed me one time. Wait- I think that was also the guy that Yu-nii was so riled up about from before.’</em> </p><p>“What are you talking about? Stop messing around,” Hinata said with a slight frown on his face and you noticed that Daichi, Tanaka, and Asahi paused what they were doing to listen in on as well. </p><p>“I think Seijoh was playing a practice match against a college that some of their alumni are attending.” Kageyama sighed. “When I got there, they were on break. During the break, a different type of match with a member-swap started up. Among the college students, Oikawa entered alone as their setter.” </p><p>You raised an eyebrow at this and slipped out your phone to check out who this person was. You tapped in his name on the search engine while listening to the rest of what Kageyama had to share. </p><p>“It seemed like there were many people he had just met for the first time. But after just a few plays, Oikawa had completely blended into the team. Even I could tell how lively the spikers felt. The ability to draw 100% out of anyone is…” Kageyama clicked his tongue and ruffled his hair. “Even if you take your time, it’s not a given that you can make that happen.”</p><p>You nodded along to his words because it was true. In order to have the capability to bring out one’s best potential, that player would have to dedicate all their time to the sport no matter what. Glancing at Kageyama’s facial expression, you weren’t sure if he looked defeated or driven by the current status of Oikawa. </p><p>“But for Oikawa, even if it’s someone that hates him or a very quirky player, I’m sure he can manage them at will.” </p><p><em>‘Interesting…’ </em>you thought to yourself and raised an eyebrow at Kageyama’s last comment about Oikawa. You’ve never heard of that type of player and to see that this person was also one of the top players in the country, you knew you had to watch some of his previous matches to see it for yourself. When your internet browser loaded the results, you skimmed through its content. You had to hold yourself back from giggling after seeing a picture of Oikawa on the internet. His public profile picture was one of him cheekily smiling while holding up the ‘V’ sign to his eyes. <em>‘Why are people so intimidated by him? He’s too pretty to be intimidating.’ </em></p><p>“So are you saying that you’re freaked out by the Great King again, Kageyama?” Hinata asked. </p><p>With a chuckle, you stretched out your back and began to make your way over towards the basket of volleyballs. You slipped your phone into your jacket’s pocket before zipping it closed. After seeing the smirk on his face, you knew you had nothing to worry about. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m really freaked out,” he replied to Hinata. “The three years that Oikawa spent training, everything is packed into the current Seijoh team. And the Spring Nationals are the one and only chance to go up against it. We’re going to beat them, as a team.” </p><p>You shook your head as Hinata ran off to practice more and screamed, “Defeat the Great King!” </p><p>“That’s my line, you idiot!” he yelled. </p><p>Kageyama pinched his nose and then looked towards you while you twirled the ball in your hands. You met his gaze and you both nodded at each other. With such little time, you had to do all that you could in order to beat Seijoh at Spring Nationals. He held his hands up and you tossed the ball towards him. </p><p>“Let’s get to work then, <em>King</em>.” you teased and nudged him in the stomach.</p><p>With a scoff, he rolled his eyes and the two of you made your way towards Hinata. He was yelling at you to hurry up so the three of you could work on their quick attack. </p><p>“Only if you can keep up, <em>Firecracker.</em>”</p><hr/><p>With Spring Nationals on the horizon and time flying by, the days quickly began to blur. In the mornings you’d practice with the girls then attend lessons while hanging out with your friends during breaks. Then once school was over, you’d be with the boys but if you were needed for the girls then Aoki would come and get you. Your hectic schedule was starting to take its toll on you and Kageyama couldn’t help but bring it up on your way home on a day when practice ran late. </p><p>You two waved goodbye to the team after getting some pork buns from Ukai once another successful practice ended. Kageyama stuffed his hands into his pockets while you indulged in another pork bun. You forgot to bring extra snacks that day and finally being able to eat something made all the pent-up stress melt away. <em>‘Ukai’s shop always has the best pork buns. No one can beat his mom’s recipe!’</em> After taking another bite, you happily sighed at the delicious taste. He frowned slightly when he noticed that some of your fingers were taped and lightly nudged you on the side. You looked up at him and he nodded towards your fingers. </p><p>“What happened to your hands?” he asked.</p><p>“Ah,” you swallowed and gave him a sheepish smile. “Today we were doing blocking drills and Rinko-senpai’s spikes are stronger than I anticipated. During one of the drills, my timing was off and my fingers got hurt.” </p><p>“Tsk, you need to look after yourself better.” </p><p>“I always do.” </p><p>Kageyama chuckled and flicked your forehead once you both stopped at an intersection. You pouted and rubbed your forehead in order for the pain to disappear. </p><p>“Don’t lie, you’ve been overworking yourself lately. Are you sure you’re getting enough sleep?” </p><p>“I can handle it, you know I can. And sleep isn’t that important for me.” you pouted. </p><p>While waiting for the walk signal to turn green, he sighed and turned to face you. His eyes scanned the dark circles underneath your eyes and it showed him that you haven’t been getting enough rest. You just grinned at him and reached up to ruffle his hair in hopes that it would relieve some of his worryings. He raised an eyebrow at your actions and you shrugged. </p><p>“I…just like to keep myself busy,” you murmured. </p><p>Before coming back to volleyball, it was nice to have time on your hands. But after closing off for so long, you realized that over time, having a frequent schedule was your lifestyle. If you had too much time off, you’d get antsy and constantly felt the need to do something. Becoming manager was nice, but it still felt like there was something missing for you. Now that you’ve been going to volleyball practices, you learned just how much your life revolved around volleyball. Your next big dream was slowly starting to materialize: becoming one of Japan’s top players in women’s volleyball. </p><p>“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to push yourself to the point of exhaustion. You need to have enough rest so your body doesn’t burn out.” Kageyama pointed out and slipped his hand into yours. </p><p>You reassuringly squeezed his hand and jokingly said, “Says the one that tends to over practice the most out of anyone, well besides Shoyo, on the team.” </p><p>He rolled his eyes and softly raised your hands to his lips. Your eyes widened when you felt him kiss the area that you had taped and blushed at the sudden act of affection. </p><p>“I just don’t like seeing you hurt,” he mumbled, and once the light turned green, kept your hand in his and softly tugged you along. </p><p>Matching his pace, you softly chuckled and swung your hands back and forth. </p><p>“Don’t worry, after today’s practice, I won’t hurt myself today anymore.” </p><p>“Oh?” </p><p>You nodded and looked back at him. “I already got a good read on Rinko-senpai’s playing so she won’t be able to get past me next time.” </p><p>He squeezed your hand and you huffed. “And I promise to get more sleep.” </p><p>Kageyama smirked and said, “That’s my girl.” </p><p>“Am I?” you teased. </p><p>“O-Of course.” he huffed and you poked his cheek once you noticed the slight tinge of pink. </p><p>“Are you blushing right now, Tobio?” </p><p>“I didn’t mean for that to come out, alright?” </p><p>You hummed in amusement and turned your attention back to the pavement in front of you. A comfortable silence fell as your mind wandered off to his last comment. It’s true that your feelings for Kageyama continued to grow each day. So hearing that type of comment from him got you feeling all warm inside and your heart skipped a beat. Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw that Kageyama’s ears were still pink and it looked like he was mentally beating himself up for letting that slip. As you neared your apartment, you walked closer to Kageyama and hugged his arm. </p><p>“Don’t worry, I like the sound of that.” </p><p>His eyes widened and he let out a sigh of relief. “Good, then that’s all that matters.” </p><p>Kageyama looked down at you once more and softly smiled at the way your smile seemed to light up underneath the light post. He squeezed your hand as the two of you arrived at your apartment and he watched you walk towards the lobby. With a small smile and wave, you disappeared through the doors after bidding each other goodnight. Kageyama looked up at the balcony you always greeted him from and tightened the grip he had on his bag. While walking towards the bus stop, he gave himself a pep talk. </p><p>
  <em>‘Soon. Soon I’ll ask her to officially be my girlfriend. I just need the timing to be right.’ </em>
</p><hr/><p>“Hey, hey, hey! Look who it is.” Bokuto greeted once all of Karasuno got off of the bus. It was the last weekend of August and all of the teams that participated in Tokyo’s training camp were invited back again for a weekend training camp at Shinzen. On the way over, Takeda reminded everyone that there were going to be two more sessions before qualifiers, and all the time spent at the camp needed to be used to sharpen the team’s skills and defenses. </p><p>You couldn’t help but let out an excited scream and ran towards Bokuto. He swiftly swung you around in a hug and ruffled your hair when he set you down. </p><p>“I missed you, (Y/N)-chan~ you haven’t been replying back to our group chat lately.” Bokuto pouted. </p><p>You patted his head and said, “I know Kou-chan and I’m sorry but school has been piling up on workload lately. These boys always have practice run late so I’m either busy helping them or trying to finish homework.” </p><p>“Give her a break, we’ve been busy too y’know? I don’t understand why teachers like to suddenly pile up so much homework once we come back from break.” Kuroo added and Bokuto jumped at the sound of his voice. </p><p>“Don’t sneak up on me like that, what if you gave me a heart attack?” </p><p>Kuroo laughed and slung an arm over your shoulders. “Sorry bro, I couldn’t help myself. I’ll make sure to resuscitate you if that ever happens.” </p><p>You rolled their eyes and gave both of them a hug. “God I missed your stupid bro moments.” </p><p>They hugged you back and said, “Does that mean you’ll be staying in Tokyo on Sunday?” </p><p>You nodded and grinned. “My dad needs my help with something and he said that his team misses me so it’s gonna be a family barbecue with the Neighborhood Association.” </p><p>“Can we come?!” they asked at the same time. </p><p><em>‘These boys will do anything whenever it comes to free meals.</em>’ You thought to yourself and laughed. </p><p>“I’ll ask my dad when I get the chance to check my phone later.” </p><p>“Oi! Kageyama!” Bokuto called out and the setter froze in his spot while catching up with Akaashi. </p><p>He turned around and noticed a different glint in Bokuto’s eyes. Kageyama gulped and Akaashi comfortingly patted his shoulder. </p><p>“I’m sorry Kageyama-san, I’ve tried to calm him down but it seems that he’s convinced that it’s his turn to have a talk with you.” </p><p>He glanced over to see that Kuroo had managed to pull into a conversation with Yaku, Daichi, Aran, and Asahi. Bokuto smirked and crossed his arms while making his way over to where he was standing. </p><p>“It’s about time we have a talk, don’t you think?” </p><p>Kageyama looked to his side to find that Akaashi had walked off to where Sugawara and some other players from Fukurodani were catching up at. He gulped and nodded while Bokuto excitedly grinned and slapped Kageyama in the back. </p><p>“Now that’s what I like to see!” </p><p>You glanced over to where Kageyama and Bokuto were standing and mentally sighed. Bokuto, Kuroo, and you had a three-way call the night before while you packed your belongings. While catching them up with your situation with Kageyama, Bokuto made it a point to say that it wasn’t fair that Kuroo had a chance to have a one-on-one with the setter and he didn’t. You reassured him that there would be time for him to fulfill his older brother duties once there was a break. So you were surprised and glaring daggers at Kuroo who managed to distract you while Bokuto slipped away. You didn’t expect the talk to happen right when you arrived in Tokyo. </p><p>Kuroo shrugged and nodded towards them. “It was inevitable, sorry (Y/N). But hey at least it’s sooner the better, right?” </p><p>“I hope so,” you murmured. ‘<em>Hopefully, Kou-chan doesn’t go too hard on Tobio. I hope he’s okay since I gave him a head’s up that Kou-chan wanted to have a talk with him…’ </em></p><p>Your previous assumptions were proven wrong when you finally saw Kageyama walk inside the gym after Bokuto. There was something different about him that you couldn’t put your finger on. The setter looked like he was thinking about something and Bokuto just gave you a wink when you looked at him for answers. With a sigh, you made your way over to Kageyama with his things already in your arms. </p><p>“To-bi-o~” you called out. </p><p>That managed to snap him out of his daze and was surprised to see you standing in front of him. He sheepishly rubbed his neck and said, “Oh, (Y/N). Sorry, did I take too long?” </p><p>You shook your head and he grabbed his knee pads and jersey out of your hands. He nodded in thanks and began to make his way towards the court that Karasuno was currently practicing on. You ran up to him and poked his side. </p><p>“What did you guys talk about?” </p><p>“Nothing much,” he shrugged and slipped on the neon yellow jersey. </p><p>“It doesn’t seem like it was nothing much.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it.” he casually said while stretching out his arms. </p><p>“Are you sure? Kou-chan didn’t say anything weird to you?” </p><p>Kageyama chuckled and shook his head. “(Y/N), he didn’t say anything bad or weird. He just wanted to know what my intentions were and to see how things are going between us, alright?” </p><p>You purse your lips and he ruffled your hair in response. </p><p>“Just trust me, alright?” </p><p>He looked down at you to meet your unsure gaze. Bokuto’s words were still ringing in his head and Kageyama finally learned just how much you’ve gone through and how much your friends were willing to go for your happiness. He slipped his hand into yours and squeezed it. With a sigh, you nodded and pointed your finger at his chest. </p><p>“If he gives you a hard time, just let me know, okay?” </p><p>Kageyama chuckled and said, “I will, I promise.” </p><p>“Good,” you smiled and then nodded towards the team. “Let’s get this show on the road.” </p><p>Kageyama nodded and let you tug him along. He looked at you and clutched onto his knee pads when he recalled the last things Bokuto told him. </p><p>
  <em>‘Remember Kageyama, I know you’ve said what your intentions are for her and I respect that. But I just can’t see how you can help her in the long run. Don’t get me wrong, I support you two and it’s still too early to tell. I just need reassurance for not only her sake but for mine, that you’ll be able to take care of her. I know you two are still fresh in high school, but your eyes are set to be the best, right? How is the relationship going to work if volleyball must always come first? Word on the street is that Oikawa and his girlfriend broke up because he was too focused on volleyball. I don’t want her to get hurt like that. Just please, if you’re serious about her, really take care of her and put your all into whatever it is you two have.’ </em>
</p><p>He didn’t have a solid answer for those questions yet. Hell, whatever was going on between him and you was his first experience when it came to relationships. Kageyama didn’t want to mess anything up and has always been reaching out to his sister for help. But he couldn’t deny that Bokuto brought up legitimate concerns when it came to starting a relationship and Kageyama was lost. All he knew for sure was that he wanted you by his side and vice versa. You understood more than anyone else what he needed to achieve and he finally realized that you’ve been his anchor. He hasn’t been able to listen to your worries at all yet and you’ve simply withheld information, such as joining the girl’s team, for his sake. With a sigh, Kageyama knew he had so much to work on in order to be the best he could be for you. All he hoped is that you wouldn’t leave him if it ever had to come to that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. - 20 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Spring Nationals/Qualifiers has finally arrived and the boys are ready for their first match against Johzenji. As you all make your way towards the gym, Kageyama and Hinata end up bumping into Terushima. Then once their match starts, Kageyama ends up getting injured and there's an unexpected turn of events when you take him to the nurse's office.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the late update for this week! Work has been pretty busy and I haven’t been in the right mindset lately ^^; But as a stress-reliever, I did write this throughout the week /sorry if there are any grammar mistakes, roughly edited/ so I hope you all enjoy it! As always, this part has also been uploaded onto Tumblr!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <p>The weekend of the Spring Qualifiers had finally arrived and you stepped off of the bus with the rest of the team. Shouts and conversations filled the air and you grinned to yourself. Competition days were always nerve-wracking but also exciting because you’d get to see friends before the seriousness settled in. There were a lot more teams compared to last time and all of the boys were staring at the crowds in awe. Some teams had just arrived like you while others were catching up with friends or filing into Sendai City Gymnasium.</p>
  <p>“Oh my god, it’s (L/N)-sama!”</p>
  <p>You waved at the group of boys that passed you on their way to the gym and embarrassedly smiled. It was still surprising to you that you still had fans after being inactive for so long.</p>
  <p>“To think that they immediately recognized you never failed to humor me every single time,” Nishinoya smirked and you slapped his arm in retaliation.</p>
  <p>“I didn’t think so either. You’d think that after being out of the spotlight for so long, they’d find something better to do.” you sighed and the rest of the team laughed.</p>
  <p>“Alright guys, let’s not get distracted. Start to focus in and not let any of the other teams get the best of you here.” Daichi announced.</p>
  <p>“Osu!”</p>
  <p>All of you walked towards the gym with Kageyama and Hinata on either side of you. You sneakily linked your pinky with Kageyama’s and he looked down at you in surprise. With a grin, you shrugged and hoped he knew that you were trying to show him your support. He shook his head and continued looking forward. With your pinkies still linked, there was a hint of a small on his face. You chuckled and focused back on the walk towards the gym. Everyone was listening to what Ukai had to say when suddenly Hinata exclaimed, “We’re here! We’re back and totally going to take revenge!”</p>
  <p>You smirked when you felt everyone’s resolve shift into something more serious with a sense of confidence. The boys’ statistics for plays and personal strengths have improved over time and you knew that they were excited to finally show their weapons in an official game. Looking down at the roster that was emailed to the teachers and then passed to the managers, you took a mental note of the first team. <em>‘Johzenji...Ukai said that they were a playful team. The type that doesn’t play the conventional way like everyone else.’ </em></p>
  <p>“Don’t just take off, you dumbass!” Kageyama exclaimed before taking off as well.</p>
  <p>“Hey, you two get back here!” Daichi yelled.</p>
  <p>“Hinata and Kageyama look like they’re living solely on knee-jerk reactions,” Yamaguchi commented.</p>
  <p>“They’re insects,” Tsukishima added.</p>
  <p>You looked up to see that Hinata had already run off towards the entrance with Kageyama right on his tail. Daichi sighed while everyone continued their pace and let the two do their usual competitive antics.</p>
  <p>You patted him on the shoulder and said, “I don’t think we could ever stop them.”</p>
  <p>“Looks like they’ve already bumped into some trouble,” Daichi muttered and nodded towards the two that had stopped running by the entrance. <em>‘</em></p>
  <p>
    <em>Why’d they stop?’</em>
  </p>
  <p>The rest of you walked up to them to see the quick duo standing behind a team with yellow uniforms. They were just about to enter the lobby of the gym when Hinata let out a gasp. It caught the attention of one of the members and your eyes widened. </p>
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  <p>“Oh,” you murmured underneath your breath. </p>
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  <p>Terushima had recognized Hinata and looked behind him to meet your gaze. With an excited look on his face, he waved at you. </p>
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  <p>“Manager-chan~ Make sure to give me your number today!” he greeted. <em>‘Manager-chan…?’ </em></p>
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  <p>You avoided his gaze and noticed that Yachi’s jaw dropped. Looking to the other side of her, you noticed that Nishinoya and Tanaka stiffened up at the sight of another guy talking to you. Pinching the bridge of your nose, you knew there was no stopping the boys from trying to intimidate Terushima. </p>
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  <p>“Aw, she looks cute when she gets all shy,” Terushima added. </p>
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  <p>Kageyama’s jaw tightened and was about to step in to say something when Nishinoya and Tanaka ran over to them. There was a fire in their eyes and was about to jump Terushima when his team’s manager pushed him out of the way. </p>
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  <p>“Stop it!” </p>
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  <p>She bowed to them before saying, “I-I’m terribly sorry about that!” </p>
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  <p>You watched as Nishinoya and Tanaka froze in the air at the sight of the cute manager. The rest of Terushima’s team began to make their way inside the building when they saw that she managed to get everything under control. You sighed and walked up to the boys since they were your responsibility as well. While pushing Nishinoya and Tanaka to the side, you nodded at Hinata and Kageyama to join the rest of the team. You met Kageyama’s gaze and gave him a reassuring smile. <em>‘He’s probably wondering why Terushima knows me…I’ll explain to him later.’ </em>He sighed and grabbed Hinata by his jacket then dragged him away so you could talk to the manager. </p>
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  <p>“I’m totally sorry about that!” the manager said and bowed once more. </p>
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  <p>“It’s totally fine! Really, you don’t have to apologize so much.” you chuckled.</p>
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  <p>“Terushima-kun just knows how to push other team’s buttons sometimes so if he makes you uncomfortable, I’ll make sure to reprimand him for you!” </p>
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  <p>You glanced over to your left to see him playfully whistling with his hands resting on the back of his neck.  Rolling your eyes, you patted the manager’s arm. </p>
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  <p>“It’s fine, we just need to finish up a conversation. I’ll talk to him right now and get this over with so both of our boys are focused on their game.” </p>
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  <p>She looked between you and Terushima before slowly nodding. “Don’t be late.” </p>
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  <p>Once she disappeared, Terushima turned his body towards you and leaned down to meet your gaze. Out of the corner of your eyes, Karasuno began to make their way into the gym. You grinned to yourself when you saw them glowering at Terushima and how close he was to you. With a wave, you reassured them that you’d be fine and you’ll wrap up the conversation as quickly as possible. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>On the other hand, it was odd for Kageyama to see you interacting with someone he or the team didn’t know about. He knew of your fan club because not only had you mentioned it, but Nishinoya had shown old photos from your yearbook when they had a joint study session at his place. He didn’t like how close the blond was to you but Kageyama knew he had to trust you. He would have never thought that he was the jealous type so seeing how Terushima casually slung his arm over your shoulders while talking and all Kageyama wanted to do was punch him in the face. </p>
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  <p>“You look like you want to murder him,” Sugawara snickered. </p>
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  <p>Kageyama stiffened and the latter laughed before patting him on the shoulder. “If it’s something you need to worry about, she’ll let you know.” </p>
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  <p>“I know, I just can’t help it,” Kageyama grumbled and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. <em>‘That should be me and not that cocky prick.’</em> </p>
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  <p>“You know, you can be so adorable sometimes.” Sugawara cooed while ruffling his hair. </p>
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  <p>“Shut up,” Kageyama murmured while turning the other way but still let the silver-haired setter continue his affection. </p>
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  <p>He glanced behind him once more to see that you had an annoyed expression on your face and Terushima rubbing his arm in pain. It was safe to assume that you had stood your ground and Kageyama let out a sigh of relief. <em>‘She’ll be okay. And if it’s something I need to know, (Y/N) will tell me.’</em> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You relaxed once you noticed Kageyama’s demeanor changed after talking to Sugawara. It was quite funny to you when you sensed his murderous glare directed towards your direction. Kageyama was usually very stoic about how he felt so seeing him expressing himself more made you happy. That meant that he was growing for the better and trusting himself more. Turning your attention back to Terushima, you crossed your arms and looked up at him. </p>
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  <p>“Now that you got what you deserve for playing around, can you please tell me what you need my help with?” </p>
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  <p>He sheepishly laughed and said, “You did pack in a mean punch. I just got too excited, so sorry about that.” </p>
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  <p>“So,” you tilted your head to the side and sighed, “What’s up with your sister?” </p>
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  <p>Terushima ruffled his hair and scuffed the ground with his foot. He knew that it was a long shot to ask for your help but it was the last resort he could think of to help his sister. </p>
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  <p>“This past season...she tore her ACL.”</p>
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  <p>Your breath hitched, knowing full well what that could do to someone. He glanced at you and you straightened up to show that you were listening. </p>
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  <p>“She was up against Niiyama and while trying to block a spike, she had landed wrong. She heard a pop after falling and immense pain shot up through her left leg.” </p>
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  <p>Memories of your own accident flooded your mind when he described what his sister felt. The sensation ghosted over your leg and you clicked your tongue. </p>
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  <p>“Look, I don’t know what this has to do with me, but if you’re just trying to bring up my own injury, I’m not interested.” </p>
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  <p>“No, no, no it’s not like that!” Terushima said and clasped his hands together.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Then what?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“She wants to quit! Just like you did in middle school, she wants to give up! I’ve told her that you’ve come back to the scene but she doesn’t believe me.” </p>
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  <p>You froze. The devastation, the long recovery time, the pent up frustration that came with watching your teammates move on without you: they were all experiences you never wanted to go through again. You loved volleyball with all your heart and not having it in your life made you feel empty inside. Countless times you’ve tried to fill in that gap by either playing video games or helping your mom out with her bakery. Even if you were out and about, distracted by hanging out with your friends, there was still this unspeakable feeling you had inside of you that you couldn’t shake off. So hearing about someone thinking about doing the same mistake you did, broke a small part of you. </p>
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  <p>“She can’t. If she really loves volleyball as much as you said and that she looked up to me like that, she shouldn’t.” </p>
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  <p>“I know, but she won’t listen to me,” Terushima murmured with his shoulders slumped, “I’ve tried everything but I just can’t get through her. You’re my last hope.” </p>
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  <p>“What about her teammates?” </p>
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  <p>“She’s shut them out. After her injury, she immediately sent in her resignation letter from the club and just goes straight home once school ends.” </p>
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  <p>“When did the injury happen?” </p>
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  <p>“About three months ago.” </p>
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  <p>You sighed and took out your notebook with its pen clipped to the cover. There was still a long way to go until she fully recovers, but if you could help her see the bigger picture, then you were willing to give it a chance. Taking it off, you opened up to a blank page and wrote down your number on the corner. Once you tore it off, you held it out for him to take. His eyes widened and gratefully took it from you. Before he could stop himself, Terushima hugged you. </p>
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  <p>“Thank you (L/N)-san.” </p>
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  <p>You blinked and awkwardly patted his back. “I just don’t want her to go through what I did.” </p>
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  <p>“I’ll pay you back somehow.” He replied as he pulled back. </p>
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  <p>You nodded and saluted him before making your way inside the gym to find your boys. “Just text me your availability and we can figure something out.” </p>
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  <p>“(Y/N)-chan! Over here!” Looking towards the direction that someone called your name, you jogged over to the corner that the boys had set up at. You grinned and before you could make your way over, Nishinoya and Tanaka pounced on you. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you okay?”  “What did that punk want?”  “Did he flirt with you?”  “Do we need to punch him?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Nii-chan, calm down. You too Ryu-nii!” you laughed and patted their heads. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s fine, he just wanted me to help his sister with volleyball.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you sure that isn’t just a cover-up for him to get to know you? Guys, our age can be slick when it comes to getting a girl’s attention y’know.” Tanaka said.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m pretty certain it’s just for his sister,” you reassured and walked past them. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Just let us know if he ever crosses a line, we’ll make sure to find out where he lives and rough him up,” Nishinoya added. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say~” you giggled and walked up to where the first years were huddled. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Did I make it in time?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Yamaguchi nodded and said, “Yeah, we’re just about to head onto the court for the match.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s good, I know you guys can win this today.” you grinned and ruffled his hair. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I hope you get to play Tadashi.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I hope so too, (Y/N).” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Where’s Hinata?” you asked and noticed that the orange-haired ball of energy was nowhere to be found. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He went to the restroom like always,” Tsukishima muttered while packing away his headphones. “Watch him pick a fight with whoever he bumps into.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You pinched the bridge of your nose and said, “I really hope that isn’t the case. I swear he’s like a trouble magnet.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We’ll be fine,” Yachi added and hugged your arm. “Especially since the two of us are going to be cheering for you guys from the top!” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You grinned and nodded along to her words. “You better get in some good blocks today, Kei.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tsukishima rolled his eyes and said, “That’s what I’m going to do, isn’t that obvious?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And what about you?” you softly asked, turning your attention to Kageyama who was leaning against the wall and filing his nails. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I feel fine and I’m ready to defeat that cocky team,” he murmured. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Raising an eyebrow, you grinned and poked his arm. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Were you jealous?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, I wasn’t. I trust you.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But his body language proved to you otherwise. There was a small pout on his lips and he hasn’t even met your gaze since you started talking to him. With a small smile, you ruffled his hair. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t worry, he just asked me to help his sister.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Right.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What about-” “Alright team, it’s time for us to go onto the court!” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You sighed when Ukai cut you off. Kageyama pushed himself off of the wall and grabbed his things. Right when you were about to say something, he took something out of his bag and tossed it at you. Your vision was blocked when an article of clothing landed on your head and you grabbed it. The familiar smooth material of a jersey was felt in your hands and you shook your head in amusement while Kageyama walked off with the boys. Holding up the jersey that had the number ‘9’ in front of you, you couldn’t help but laugh at his actions. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>‘Tobio was most definitely jealous.’ </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You better be wearing that today,” he said while looking over his shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I will!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <hr/>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are we late?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You and Yachi turned around after the boys finished the first set against Johzenji to see Homura and Rui hunched over from running. With a chuckle, you slung your arms over their shoulders and nodded towards Takinoe and Shimada who also joined you guys in the stands. You quickly introduced the girls to the older men before you turned your attention back to the game. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“The first set is still going on. I think the only crazy thing you’ve missed was Hinata being Spiderman for a couple of seconds. Johzenji is just full of surprises because the way they play is untraditional, but I think it’s quite normal for our boys since we have players like Hinata and Yu-nii on the team.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Spiderman, what do you mean?” Rui asked as she crossed her arms and rested her arms on the railings. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He ran for the ball and managed to jump off the wall to save it.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Geeze what <em>can’t</em> that little tangerine do?” Homura laughed. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Word on the street is that Johzenji plays nothing but 2-on-2 games for over half of their practice time,” Rui murmured and you all watched as one of Johzenji’s players crashed into the net.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No wonder they looked so clumsy. All they’ve done on the court was play around so I’m not sure if they’ve been taking this match seriously,” you chuckled and then raised an eyebrow when you noticed Terushima looking up at you. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I think that’s what makes them a hard opponent and why they placed top four,” Homura thought out loud. “Because they’re so playful, it keeps the other team constantly on their toes.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He cheekily grinned at you before winking and you looked at Kageyama who glared at him in response. You noticed that he was slightly more aggressive on the court and could only shake your head in amusement. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What was that all about?” Rui asked and looked at you for answers. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You sighed and said, “I’ll tell you guys about it later. Your match is still this afternoon, right?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Homura nodded and said, “You’ll be there right?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You laughed and playfully nudged her arm. “Of course, what do you take me for? I’ll be the one who’s cheering the loudest out of everyone in your cheering section.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“(Y/N)! K-Kageyama is-” Yachi said and rapidly kept tapping your shoulder. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your focus immediately shifted back towards the game and you gasped when Kageyama turned away from the net. His nose was bleeding and before anyone around you could say anything, you immediately ran downstairs. <em>‘This idiot, how did that happen?!’ </em>The game was called for a time out and by the time you entered the court, Kageyama was keen on continuing the match. When the boys noticed you, they made way for you to check on him. Shimizu handed him some tissues and you sighed. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is a good opportunity for you to cool down. You won’t be able to go back out there until you stop bleeding anyway, so go get yourself looked over.” Ukai told him despite all his begging to get back onto the court.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ukai glanced at you and nodded for you to take over. Walking up to Kageyama, you gently tugged on the sleeve of his jersey after the team reassured him that things would be okay in the meanwhile. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Let’s go, Tobio,” you said and the setter still wouldn’t budge. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With a sigh, you began to push him from his back and he begrudgingly began to walk away from the court. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Turning back towards the team, you grinned and said, “Good luck, you guys!” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Osu!” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Once you arrived at the nurse’s office, you leaned against the wall while the nurse made sure that he was okay to go back to the court. Kageyama glared into space while answering the nurse’s questions and you knew that his mood had drastically gone down. Pushing yourself off the wall, you bowed to the nurse once she confirmed that Kageyama was okay and thanked her for her hard work. As she made her way out, you walked towards Kageyama who was seated on one of the empty beds. He was hunched over while pinching the bridge of his nose and you gently brushed his hair back. The comforting motion led Kageyama to lean into your touch and immediately some of his stress began to melt away. You grinned softly when you noticed his shoulders relaxed and he looked up at you.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you okay?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He silently nodded and began to curse underneath his breath. “God damn it, I can’t believe I let that happen.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“They were just a little reckless, but you successfully blocked their spike,” you reassured. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Those little pricks need to take things more seriously.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You laughed and he looked up at you with a small pout. “What’s so funny?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Seeing you sulk is adorable. I’ve never seen you like this.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well don’t get used to it. It rarely ever happens.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You couldn’t help but squish his cheeks together and he playfully glared at you. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Stop it, I’m injured.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh so now you care about your injury,” you teased and then ruffled his hair. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Walking towards the medical counter, you began to look for a tissue box. “Has the bleeding stopped?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You heard Kageyama get up and throw away the tissues that were in his hands. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“There's still a little bit left.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>After successfully finding the tissue box, you took some out and handed it to Kageyama. He nodded in thanks and sat back down on the bed. This time, you joined him on the bed and rested your weight behind you. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With your arms supporting your body, you peeked at him from the corner of your eyes and said, “Are you sure you’re okay?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With a tired sigh, Kageyama leaned his head on your shoulder once you sat up to look at him. Now that he had a chance to cool down, he realized that he had let his emotions get the best of him on the court. Especially after he saw Terushima trying to get your attention right in front of him, all Kageyama wanted to prove was that he was better than the blonde. In his eyes, Terushima looked confident enough to sweep you away right underneath his nose. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t like the way Terushima looks at you,” he murmured. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You chuckled and leaned your head on top of his. “You don’t need to worry about that. I don’t think he’s going to do anything like that.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You say that, but I’m a guy, and even though I can be seen as dense sometimes...I know what a guy looks like when he’s interested in someone.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And if he does try to do something, I’ll turn him down right away,” you reassured. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Good because you’re mine.” There was a pause and you looked at Kageyama. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kageyama froze when the words slipped from his mouth and slowly got up from his position. <em>‘Did he just say that…?’’ </em>Your jaw dropped and you could feel your heart pounding in your chest. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“T-Tobio…?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>‘Fuck, this wasn’t how I wanted it to go...but screw it. The words are already out in the open.</em>’ </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kageyama got up from his seat and threw away the last of the tissues. He was relieved to find out that the bleeding had stopped and turned around to face you. His heartbeat increased when his eyes landed on you. Your cheeks were dusted in pink and you were fidgeting with the ends of his jersey. <em>His jersey.</em> Kageyama finally noticed that you were wearing his jersey. It was slightly bigger on you and for it to not cover your leggings, you had tied the front of the jersey into a knot. Your hair had also been tied up in a bun, just the way he loved to see it and before he knew it, he began to confess his feelings for you. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I wanted to do this in a more prepared way, but…” he shyly covered his face with his hand. “(L/N) (Y/N), I really like you. I <em>like</em>, like you so much. I know that I’m not competent enough to be your boyfriend yet, but I will do anything to make you happy.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You bit your lip to prevent yourself from smiling so much. Kageyama peeked through his fingers and smirked slightly. With a gulp, he straightened himself up and walked over to you. Once he was standing in front of you, your fists were clenched on your lap in an attempt to calm down the nerves that buzzed throughout your body. Your eyes widened slightly when he gently cupped your cheeks and affectionately met your gaze. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re one of the only few people who understand me and are patient with me. I didn’t expect myself to fall for you, but for the months that we’ve grown close to one another, I found myself looking forward to all the time I got to spend with you.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Tobio…” you murmured and watched him kneel in front of you. You reached out to play with his hair and smiled gently, waiting for him to continue. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not only do you love volleyball as much as I do, but you’ve managed to sneak your way into my mind. I can’t stop thinking about you and all I want to do is show you that I can be the one for you. So…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kageyama smiled and slipped his hand into yours. “Will you be my girlfriend?” </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. - 21 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The girls try to get out what happened between you and Kageyama and the boys win against Johzenji. Now that it's the second day of matches after successfully beating Wakutani, Karasuno gets ready to go against Aoba Johsai. And knowing what had happened before, you prepared a small surprise in hopes to boost the boys' morale for their upcoming battle.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait for this update. A lot of stuff happened in my personal life and I needed to focus on that more for a bit. It took a toll on me and had to take a small break from writing as well as being online in general. But now that the storm has passed, I will be doing bi-weekly updates rather than weekly updates. I hope you all understand! This update is more of a filler chapter as a way to get back into the groove of writing and I hope you guys enjoy it!</p><p>Now that I'm back, I hope all you lovely souls have been doing great and taking care of yourselves. Stay safe and remember to drink some water today &lt;3 </p><p>As always, this will also be uploaded on Tumblr and this chapter has roughly edited so I apologize if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You’re glowing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Homura narrowed her eyes once you rejoined everyone on the second floor. She immediately noticed the way that you carried yourself. When you skipped over to join them, the jacket you previously wore was wrapped around your waist and Kageyama’s jersey was on full display. Your hair was tied up in a bun which only happens when you were at practice or if the weather was too hot. Any other time, your hair was always down or tied out of the way so that was another context clue for Homura to start connecting the dots. The apparent giveaway to her was how your eyes were twinkling like never before. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Damn it, I really tried to downplay it…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The girls immediately zeroed in on you and with a shrug, you looked down at the boys. You failed to hide the smile that was glued on your face ever since you had left the nurse’s office. Yachi and Rui immediately stuck to your sides and began to playfully nudge you while Homura cheekily pointed at Kageyama. They immediately began to guess what had happened when you two were together and you playfully rolled your eyes at them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘These girls are so curious, hehe. It won’t hurt to leave them hanging for just a little bit more.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Your gaze then landed on Kageyama who was waiting to be put back into the match and noticed that his eyes were shining more brightly. He was talking to Hinata and while cheering on for the point that was just scored. Anyone that knew Kageyama well enough could see that he had a brighter aura around him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something happened between you and Kageyama, huh?” Yachi asked excitedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?!” Rui asked and noticed the light blush on your cheeks. They all started to corner you and the glint in their eyes showed that they wanted to hear every single detail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys kissed in the nurse’s office, huh?” Homura smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! Absolutely not, not yet anyway…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you need to tell us what happened because it obviously looks like something big did!” Yachi teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You held up your hands and tilted your head back as you laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you know when the game is over.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girls pouted when you playfully winked at them. Nodding your heads towards the match, you smirked and said, “Right now, we gotta be cheering for our boys down there.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s no fun,” Rui muttered and turned her attention back to the game. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah (Y/N), you’re such a tease,” Homura whined while hugging your shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m still calling that Kageyama said something,” Yachi said with her cheeks puffed and arms crossed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Patience is a virtue, girls.” you joked and the four of you all laughed before turning back to the game. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next set began right away with the reassurance of Daichi’s lead and Karasuno steadily increased the point gap against Johzenji. While watching, the girls recapped how the upperclassmen were able to hold down the court. You smiled and mentally patted yourself on the back because everyone’s hard work began to pay off. As the match went on, you couldn’t help but laugh at the crazy antics that Johzenji did. They really did have a lot of balls for doing those kinds of stunts during an official match, but you had to give them credit because it’s what got them into being one of the top teams. Terushima always managed to catch your eye during certain moments with the way he led his team. He had the skill to catch his teammates’ attention and was quick on his feet whenever it came to applying new plays that Karasuno did against them. Crossing your arms, you mentally took note to talk to him about his thoughts on volleyball. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘He’d have a lot more potential if he took things more seriously. Then again, I don’t know if that would fit him due to his personality…’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>You smirked when Tsukishima managed to shut out a spike from one of their opponents and he looked over at Ukai for reassurance. It was felt good to finally see that the blocker had begun to be more open with the others little by little. He was even taking the sport a bit more seriously than before. You quickly texted Kuroo and Bokuto about his progress since they had deemed the blonde as one of their </span>
  <span>protégés</span>
  <span>. Looking back at the game, you chuckled at Hinata’s reaction once Johzenji finally figured out a way to stop their quick attack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rui whistled and said, “I can feel the tangerine’s rage from all the way up here. It’s like if we were playing on a monitor, he’d rage quit for a bit before coming back and cussing over the mic.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yachi laughed and said, “Well at least this time it’ll get the two even more fired up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And just as she said that you all watched the boys reach match point when Hinata did a feint. You beamed at Hinata’s progress because he was slowly getting better at thinking on the court. Of course, there were times when his body still on its own before his mind caught up with it, but his last couple of points showed how much he quickly grew in a short period of time. And with one last good call on Johzenji’s spike being out, the game was over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“LET’S GO KARASUNO!!!” you and the girls cheered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boys looked up from their celebration on the court and the surprise on their faces to see Homura and Rui there was priceless. You knew that the boys weren’t used to having a lot of supporters so having even just a couple more people could immediately boost their morale for future games. It was a personal goal of yours to try and rally up more students to come and support them. The boys have been working their butts off and deserve all the support they can get. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all cheekily smiled up at you guys and waved. Kageyama had the nerve to smirk up at you and you bit your lip to prevent yourself from smiling so widely. He raised up his fist at you and you grinned while mimicking the movement of giving him a fist bump. His smirk changed to a grin and he nodded at you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In response, you cupped your hands around your mouth and yelled, “Great job, Tobio!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karasuno and Johzenji walked off to their respective sides to have their post-game meeting. Shimada and Takinoue went on ahead of everyone else to greet Ukai while you and the girls hung back for a bit. You tried to sneak away from them with the other two but were caught by the collar. With a gulp, you turned around to see Rui unamusedly staring down at you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And where do you think you’re going, missy?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To congratulate the boys…?” you answered with a sheepish smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You promised us to tell us what happened! We’ve waited so long already,” Homura whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that’s not-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi, Homura! Rui!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You all looked up to see another girl wearing the same uniform as them and mentally thanked the heavens. Since the boys’ match ended that meant it was time for your best friends to head over for their own match. She motioned at the clock that was hanging on the wall behind her and Rui sighed. Homura crossed her arms and pouted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re lucky you got saved by the bell, (Y/N)-chan,” Homura said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You better call us once this is all over because I want to hear everything that happened between you two,” Rui said with a pointed look before letting you go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You immediately nodded and held out your pinky. “I promise, you know I’ll let you guys know everything that happened. But right now, we need to do what’s needed for our respective teams.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’ll be cheering for us next?” Homura cheekily asked while they gathered their things and Yachi stood beside you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know it!” you smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rui and Homura grinned in response before linking their pinkies with yours. The two of you waved goodbye before the girls met up with their teammates and exited the gym. Yachi hooked her arm around yours and nodded towards the boys who were making their way out of the gym. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shall we go meet up with them?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of you quickly bounded down the stairs and Yachi’s excitement got the best of her. Once their huddle was right in front of you, she ran towards the boys and shouted words of encouragement to them. You chuckled while you watched Ennoshita hold back Nishinoya and Tanaka from overwhelming the small girl. In response, you squeezed his shoulder in thanks and he smiled back at you. You shared your congrats towards the three members in passing before walking up to Kageyama who was currently talking to Yamaguchi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his back turned to you, you smirked to yourself. Yamaguchi had noticed you and when he met your gaze, you signaled him to stay quiet. He chuckled under his breath before turning his attention back to Kageyama. They were talking about who they were going to play next and once the coast was clear, you immediately jumped onto Kageyama’s back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-Who?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so proud of you!” you exclaimed and excitedly kicked your legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“(Y/N)?!” Kageyama exclaimed and you pulled away with a wide smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi waved at you two before walking away to give you your space. Once he was out of earshot, you got off and Kageyama shook his head in amusement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could have gotten hurt, boke!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tch, you wouldn’t have let me,” you snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes, I don’t know what to do with you,” he muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a chuckle, you shrugged before directing your attention towards your belongings. He raised an eyebrow when you began to rummage through your backpack. After a moment of struggle, you pulled out a Pocari Sweat jelly pouch and a banana. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that you’re done for the day, it’s time to recover,” you grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘This girl...will certainly be the death of me…’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kageyama thought to himself. </span>
  <span>His cheeks burned at the small gesture and he hid his face with his hand. While grabbing the treats with the other, he turned away to calm down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tobio…?” you looked over at him and grinned slightly when you noticed him fanning himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking around, you noticed that no one was paying attention to you two. You knew it was the perfect time to take advantage of the small moment. So before he could react, you hugged him from behind. He tensed once he felt your arms wrap around his waist and he looked down at you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“(Y/N), w-what are you-? I’m still sweaty from the game, I don’t think you should-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, you looked cute and I just wanted to hug my </span>
  <em>
    <span>boyfriend</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Is that too much to ask for?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled and turned around so he could wrap his arms around your shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all, but warn a guy next time because there’s only so much I can take. Also, thank you for the treats. I really appreciate it, (Y/N).” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You deserve it and more, Tobio,” you grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama was just about to say something when Hinata walked up to you guys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“EH?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You immediately pulled away and laughed at Hinata’s reaction. He was standing shoulder-width apart with a pointed finger directed at you two. Kageyama clicked his tongue and you shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi! Are you guys dating now or what?” he asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smirked and slung your bag over your shoulder when Daichi announced that everyone will be making their way back to the bus. </span>
  <span>“I don’t know, what do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>think Shoyo?” you replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That you’re not…? Well, at least not yet?” he thought aloud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll leave that up to your imagination then, tangerine,” Kageyama smirked and ruffled Hinata’s head while trying to catch up to you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata huffed and crossed his arms. “That’s not fair! We all know you two have a thing for each other, as one of your best friends you need to tell me these things!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You laughed in response and stuck your tongue out at him. When he managed to take the empty spot to your right, Hinata slung his arm over your shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If this idiot ever does something stupid, let me know so I can pummel him for you,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know that I can hear you right,?” Kageyama chimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were supposed to, bakayama.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you say?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You heard me, I still don’t know how you managed to get (Y/N)’s attention but she can totally do better than you. Maybe I have a shot?” Hinata teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to die?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sighed once they began to shove each other in the arm and fastened your pace. With how constantly they argued over the smallest things, you knew it was better to just leave them be. While everyone began to file into the bus, Yachi joined you and nodded at the two. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they at it again?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You began to put on your earphones and nodded before stepping onto the bus. Yachi laughed and sympathetically patted your shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone needs to stop them or else we’re going to be here for the rest of the night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll make sure to sit next to Shoyo so we can at least have a quiet ride home,” she grinned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You clasped your hands together and gave her a thankful look. “You are a lifesaver, Yachi-chan!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we all need the peace after a tough game like that,” she replied before turning her attention back towards the boys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi! We’re gonna leave without you if you two keep arguing like that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You chuckled when Kageyama and Hinata’s jaws dropped and another race against each other began. The rest of the team playfully rolled their eyes at their typical behavior and you shrugged. Going towards the back of the bus, you took your usual seat by the window and began to scroll through your playlist. Once your relaxation playlist came into view, you set your stuff at your feet. Kageyama finally made it onto the bus and settled down next to you. His body immediately relaxed when you linked your arm through his. With a sigh, he also set his things down before peeping over at your phone. Takeda started the engine once Ukai was finished with the roll call and you lent an earbud to Kageyama. Sharing your music together had become a regular thing whenever you guys sat on the bus together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m tired,” he muttered and leaned his head on top of yours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You definitely had a tiring day today,” you agreed while making sure both of you were comfortable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we get food on the way home?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course we can. You need to replenish your energy for tomorrow’s game.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I just need milk.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you need a full meal. Did you do your homework?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...we had homework?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tiredly nuzzled his cheek against your head and you laughed. The thought of doing more work after a game made Kageyama dread what awaited him once he got home. You heard him groan at the thought of doing more work after a full day of games. Closing his eyes, he’d rather focus on the music that was currently playing. Meanwhile, you reassuringly patted his arm to let him know it’ll be done as quickly as possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can work on homework together after eating, okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt Kageyama slowly drift off to sleep and unconsciously leaned against him more. The bus had slowly begun to fall quiet in the midst of the conversation and you assumed that each of the boys fell asleep. Exhaustion began to hit you as well after waking up earlier than the team to help the managers load everything onto the bus. And as sleep began to consume you, you felt Kageyama slip his hand into yours and a small smile crept onto your lips. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>There was an unexplainable feeling as you gauged the boys’ reactions to Aoba Johsai beating Date Tech. While watching the game, you finally understood why Nishinoya was so riled up the first time. Oikawa was a force to be reckoned with and the way he was able to adapt to his team while always being there for them made you admire his skills. Then his partner, Iwaizumi, also was a notable player that had caught your attention during their match. As the ace, he was reliable and also level-headed on the court. Kageyama also explained to you that Iwaizumi was the only person who kept Oikawa in check and was an upperclassman he respected in middle school. On the other hand, Date Tech had some incredible blockers, which Kiyoko explained was why they were known as the school with the ‘Iron Wall’. Half of the team was rooting for Date Tech due to comradery while others were hoping that Aoba Johsai would win for a redemption round. Hinata explained that Aone and their new player, Koganegawa, were the two players he was most excited to play against. He also went into a little ramble about how they were friends and also rivals but also just acquaintances. Yachi piped in to cut the poor boy’s ramblings saying that you understood where he was getting at and you simply laughed at his habit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that the results were clear, there was this looming tension that surrounded the team. There was this burning fire in all of their eyes and Kageyama unconsciously tightened his grip around your hand. You glanced up at him and you smirked at the way his eyes zeroed in on Oikawa. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to beat them, I just know it,” he muttered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys will be able to, I know you will,” you replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your voice seemed to take him out of his trance and he relaxed his hand. While Daichi was talking about the thirty minutes of free time everyone had, you all got up and your phone began to buzz. Kageyama raised an eyebrow at you and you waved it away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s probably my mom checking in on me. I can answer it in a bit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, well Hinata and I are going to talk to some of Date Tech if you want to catch up with us once you’re done.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will don’t worry!” you smiled and he grinned back at you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a wave, the rest of the team began to make their way towards the court they’ll be playing at. Yachi caught your eye and she made her way towards your side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You nodded and linked your arms with her. The two of you began to make your way towards the promised meet-up spot and you hummed in thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think the boys will appreciate this?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think after what we heard from Shimizu-senpai, the boys will be thankful.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go set everything up for them!” </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Kageyama clicked his tongue after his altercation with Oikawa and walked back towards their side of the court. Out of all people to bump into while picking up one of the stray balls for warmups, he just had to bump into his rival. The brunette always knew how to push his buttons and all Kageyama wanted to do was serve a volleyball to his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi, have you seen (Y/N)?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up to see Nishinoya scanning the gym for her and Kageyama shook his head. It took him a moment to realize that you weren’t on the court with them and he sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She said that she was taking a call from her mom, but I didn’t think it was going to take this long.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm...I don’t think it should have taken this long…Yachi-san!” Nishinoya called out after she finished talking to Yamaguchi and handing him an electrolyte pouch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked over at Nishinoya and Kageyama before tilting her head to the side. “Did you guys want one too?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, no. We were just wondering if you knew where (Y/N) is,” he replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! She should be coming right about now…” Yachi said while turning her attention towards the second floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama and Nishinoya looked around as well and with a squeal of excitement, Yachi pointed towards the upper right corner. “There she is!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The setter’s eyes followed where Yachi was pointed at and his jaw dropped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way, are you serious?!” Nishinoya exclaimed while excitedly jumping up and out. “Everyone look!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You had just entered the gym with your cheeks donning black and orange streaks. His jersey was tied into a crop top while your hair was up in a bun. While walking towards the team’s section, you began to cheer into the megaphone in your hands to display your support for everyone else in the gym to see. But the biggest surprise was seeing Homura and Rui with their teammates also donning Karasuno’s colors as well as Karasuno’s girl’s volleyball members following you. Shimada, Takinoe, and Saeko were also there to show their support as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go boys!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know you can do this!” </span>
</p><p>"TANAKA! GO SHOW THOSE SORRY ASSES WHO'S THE BOSS!" </p><p>"Nee-chan?!" Tanaka exclaimed. The boys chuckled at his response and couldn't help but be in awe at the growth in support. They couldn't hide their smiles and dropped jaws as a swell of emotions hit each and every one of them.</p><p>
  <span>“Show that Shittykawa who’s boss!” Homura roared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They laughed at her cheer but overall, the boys couldn't believe the surprise you put together for them. Their support had dwindled down over the years when the volleyball club fell from its prime. Daichi, Sugawara, and Asahi looked over towards Yachi and then Shimizu. The blonde-haired girl cheekily smiled and Shimizu proudly looked at them. The third-year players bowed to the two girls before Sugawara caught your eye. He waved and put his hands together while mouthing 'thank you.' The blessed and thankful emotions that the three of them were feeling in that moment couldn't be put into words. And as you nodded back, Daichi and Asahi joined Sugawara by holding their fists towards you. You couldn't help but feel a little emotional because you were able to achieve your goal to make the boys happy before their match. You held back the happy tears that were threatening to come out as you walked up to Karasuno's section. <em>'You boys deserve all of this and more. I can't wait to see all of you soar.' </em>Kageyama looked up at you once you all gathered behind their banner and you smiled proudly down at him. He shook his head in disbelief and you smirked in response. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clearing your throat, you rested your arms on top of the railing before holding up the megaphone to your lips. Tilting your head to the side, you asked, “Surprised?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very. But thank you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything for you, now beat their asses, </span>
  <em>
    <span>King!" </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>As the referee blew the whistle for the match to start, he smirked and nodded. “You know it.” </span>
</p><p>"KARASUNO, FIGHT!!!" you cheered into the megaphone. The boys began to walk towards their spots on the court and your grip on the railings tightened. <em>'Everything so far has led up to this moment...first, they need to beat Aoba Johsai and then...Shiratorizawa.'</em></p><p>
  <span>Turning his attention back to the court, Kageyama’s entire demeanor changed when his eyes settled on Oikawa while he talked to Daichi. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s time to show you who’s the better setter, Oikawa!’ </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. - 22 -</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The long-awaited battle against Aoba Johsai is in full swing as you watch along the sidelines. Tensions are high and it can't help but remind you of memories you kept close to your heart. While watching, it reminds you of just how much the boys have grown in such a small amount of time.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here is another update, lovelies~! I hope you guys are still reading ; u ; This time it's very description-heavy since you're watching on the sidelines.<br/>I will try my best to keep up with bi-weekly updates if my workload is not too overwhelming. If not bi-weekly, then I know for sure that I can do monthly updates! <br/>Thank you to all of those that have commented, which I always appreciate although I sometimes don't respond, it really means the world to me. It's a personal goal of mine to complete this story and finish all the way through. <br/>Also, this was roughly edited so I apologize in advance if there are any grammar mistakes! <br/>As always, this will be posted on Tumblr as well! <br/>Take care of yourselves and I love you all &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The tensions were high in the gym in the midst of the match against Aoba Johsai. Tons of chatter filled the air from all the spectators that trickled into the bleachers ever since the whistle was blown. Players from different schools were watching and from what you could hear, the crowd was divided on who would come out as the winner. From behind you, the girls from Niiyama were constantly debating against each other on who could outplay who. Your teammates were nervously watching the match but determinedly cheered for the boys whenever Seijoh’s cheers tried to intimidate them. Things were looking up so far: Daichi was able to hit Oikawa’s first serve, Nishinoya successfully set the ball to set up a synchronized attack, Tsukkishima was on top of his blocking, and the freak duo was able to break through the mental wall they’ve had. You couldn’t formulate the proper words about the amount of pride you felt for the boys. It had you standing the entire time you watched them play because you’d constantly fidget in your seat whenever you tried to just sit and watch. The boys in front of you weren’t the same ones you first met. They’ve immensely honed in on their skills and you couldn’t help but mentally thank their losing streak during their Tokyo camps. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I should really take Kou-chan and Tetsu out to eat again since they were the reason why my boys are reaching their peak.’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay, (Y/N)-chan?” Saeko asked once she noticed that your grip on the railings never relaxed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You blinked and didn’t realize that you had zoned out for a bit. She looked at your curiously and you just laughed it off while picking up the megaphone once again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry Saeko-nee, I didn’t even realize that I zoned out a bit,” you replied and smiled down at the boys. “I guess you can say I went down memory lane for a bit since the boys have been on a really strong start off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re as adorable as always, (Y/N),” The blonde laughed and slung her arm over your shoulders. “Although, I can understand why you could be a little stressed. Those prim and prissy boys on the other team are always chasing after them. It’s always a one to two-point difference no matter who leads.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Leading up to this match, you had done your own homework and watched previous matches. Aoba Johsai’s proficiency has been constant and had a steady build-up in skill. Their players were well-rounded but the ones that always stood out to you were Oikawa and Iwaizumi. Those two together were a force to be reckoned with and you knew it was because of all the time they’ve played together. Once people hit high school, it’s typical for most volleyball duos to split up due to different schools or interests. But there would always be that rare few that would continue their journey. Those were the players that everyone needed to look out for because they’ve spent years figuring out what was best for their teamwork. Now seeing it in person, you couldn’t help but miss being able to play with Homura and Rui. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glancing over towards said girls, they were right in front of their teammates adding in their two cents on their team’s debate. Your eyes softened when you remembered one of your favorite memories with them. </span>
</p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“Oi, (Y/N)! Why are you taking your time?! We’re going to be late for practice!” Homura called out to you. She and Rui were already waiting by the entrance with their things ready.</span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>With a sigh, you got up from putting your practice shoes on and put your school shoes back in its locker. While closing it shut, you slung your bag over your shoulder and smirked. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“Why do we need to rush? There’s still so much time left, I’m just trying to savor our last practices together with this season’s team. I don’t want our upperclassmen to leave.” </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>Homura clicked her tongue and threw the volleyball she was holding at you. With a laugh, you easily caught it and stuck your tongue out. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“That’s exactly why we need to spend as much time in the gym together! Who am I going to be headass with on the court if you’re not with us?” Homura whined. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“There, there you two. We don’t want to get in trouble with the principal again, do we?” Rui asked. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>The two of you gulped when you noticed that she had her eyebrow arched and arms crossed. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“It’s true that this week is our last week of practices with our senpais and then it’ll be us taking over.” </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“Yeah, but I’m trying to do a rematch with Nadeshiko-senpai, and yet you two are taking your damn time!” </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>You laughed and slung your arms over both of their shoulders. With a cheeky smirk, you began to make your way towards the gym. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“Oh, we’ll easily beat Nadeshiko-senpai and the rest of the upperclassmen for their spots. Then once Rui’s captain, Homura’s our libero, and I’m the ace...we’ll be able to continue it on at Niiyama and be one of the top players in our prefecture.” </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“Captain?! Nah, that’s not going to be me.” Rui said. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>Your and Homura’s expression deadpanned while looking at her. “You most definitely will. No one else in our class can step up to the plate as you can.” you both replied. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“(Y/N)-chan is right though. That’s been the dream, hasn’t it? Going to Niiyama together and become like one of those golden trios in animes.” </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“It’s going to happen, no matter what.” You said and rested your hands behind your neck. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>“Well,” Rui sighed before taking the lead and walking in front of you two. “If that’s going to be the case, then that means we’ll have to overtake our upperclassmen today.” </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>It was a fun little tradition that the coach started for the girl’s volleyball club. In order to have a solid foundation, the coach thought it was a good idea for second years to pick the underclassmen that they’re going after they come back from break. The first year and the other half of the second year were dedicated to all-rounded training. Each player would be trained at the two positions they excel at then choose which third-year member they would want to take after before they graduate. Once graduation is around the corner, their final week of practices with the third-year members is dedicated to handing down the mantle to the second years stepping up to the plate. That is if they are able to outplay and beat their upperclassmen. If they were unable to beat the upperclassmen of their choice, then the coach and third-years would assign their position for the new season. </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>Homura began to excitedly bump her volleyball with a determined glint in her eyes. “It’s tradition, so of course we have to show them that their underclassmen are right on their tales.” </span>
    </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>
      <span>Tying your hair up in a bun, you began to jog towards the gym. “Let’s go show them who’s boss!” </span>
    </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi, Oi, Oi, why are you looking at us with that sappy look on your face?” Homura asked when she noticed that you had gone silent for a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rui peeked over Homura’s shoulder and nodded in agreement. “What were you thinking about?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a chuckle, you leaned against the railings and ruffled your hair. “I was thinking about our initiation during our last year at Chidoriyama.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rui whistled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Man, that was some initiation but wait-- that was so long ago, why did it come up now?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that was two years ago, why now?” Homura asked with her head tilted to the side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shrugged and looked back down towards the court. “I guess you could say that the boys reminded me of those days.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boys were currently facing the new player on Seijoh, Mad Dog, or so you’ve heard from the shouts coming from the other side of the gym. There was a slight pause in the gym when everyone watched him do a crazy line shot from the side. You hummed at the sight and continued to observe the match. He had potential but he still had to try and find his place on his own team. From the looks of his playing style, he was used to playing for himself rather than for his team. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘A team of six is more powerful than a team of one. Though it looks like Iwaizumi-san has been a sort of role model for him based on how the end of the first set turned out.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw that Yachi was already one step ahead of you with writing down the newfound information in her notebook. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the match continued, there was never a steady lead between the two teams. You cheered when Nishinoya managed to get a solid dig out of Iwaizumi’s serve and couldn’t help but laugh when Mad Dog missed his second insane line shot. Before you knew it, a full rotation had happened and Hinata was up to serve. You held your breath and Yachi reached out to squeeze your arm. Both of you knew that Hinata’s accuracy with his serves still hasn’t been steady and mentally prayed that the ball would go over the net. You closed your eyes and Yachi decided to be the one to see if it went through or not. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He did it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You gasped and looked over the railings to see the ball go over the net. It was received and back to their side in a matter of seconds. The formation that the boys formed was Hinata’s back attack and you hoped that they could land a point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you serious?!” you gaped when it was immediately blocked and you watched as Oikawa cockily looked down at Kageyama. In response, the setter glowered at Seijoh’s captain and you cupped your hands to yell down at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kageyama Tobio!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His head whipped behind him to look up at you with his eyes filled with fire. “GO KICK HIS ASS! Show him who the real King of the Court is!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama smirked and determinedly nodded as they returned back to their spots. You swore underneath your breath when you noticed that Oikawa was up to serve and easily did a service ace. Aoba Johsai was leading with a score of 17-13 and you determinedly began to lead the cheer for the boys. It looked like after seeing how Oikawa’s serves were slowly getting stronger and sharper, the boys were back to being more aware. They were all on their toes and you cheered when Oikawa’s second serve hit the net. You jumped up and down when Nishinoya managed to dive for the ball and get it back up in the air. Then Saeko flung herself onto you when Tanaka managed to land the point for Karasuno.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Way to go Ryu!” you both cheered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You cheekily smiled when Sugawara was sent on to the court. Glancing over towards the sidelines, you saw that Ukai was hiding his smirk behind his fist and you immediately caught on to what he was trying to do. The setters had been working closely together during some of their solo practices back at Karasuno. You had to give props to Rui for mentioning the tactic that you used to constantly do in particularly strong matches. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘I suppose it’s time to put one of our secret weapons into play,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>you smirked and watched Tsukishima get subbed with Sugawara. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so glad that Suga-san gets to play this match,” Rui smiled while watching him serve the ball.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You cheekily nudged her by the arm and said, “Of course you would, huh?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like that!” she said and crossed her arms. “He’s just a good upperclassman, alright? Plus ever since Kageyama joined, he hasn’t gotten enough time on the court.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True, Suga has always been the sort of mastermind and calm for the boys so once Kageyama joined, it must’ve been hard for him to adjust to the new changes. But I feel like we needed him as the extra pair of eyes for Karasuno. It’s pretty scary how observant he could be sometimes,” you added then rested your hands behind your neck. “Then again, you just want to see your </span>
  <em>
    <span>crush</span>
  </em>
  <span> in action more.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s never going to happen, so I’ll happily just be his fan.” Rui shrugged but still burst into a wide smile when Sugawara successfully aimed for Mad Dog again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Focusing back on the match, you knew that Seijoh was quick to catch on to Sugawara’s tactic. Thankfully, when the ball flew back to Karasuno’s side, Daichi received the ball and the setters began their attack. Kageyama dropped down to the offensive line while Sugawara took the setter spot. Everyone cheered when Kageyama did a straight shot past two blockers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“GREAT JOB TOBIO!!!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cheekily grinned up at you and said, “Don’t worry,” Kageyama turned and zeroed in on Oikawa. “We’ll beat them to the ground.” </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“YOU BETTER TAKE THIS SET BOYS! I SWEAR TO GOD YOU BETTER- Oi! Yachi, get off of me!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde had wrapped her arms around your waist to pull you away from the railings. After Yamaguchi successfully closed the gap against Seijoh, it was back to back until the other team managed to win the set. Whilst cheering, you ended up getting heated and your volleyball persona began to come out. You kept swearing at the other team in an attempt to distract them and also began to trash talk Oikawa. The peers around you were shocked to see the change in your demeanor, but your best friends were the only ones who laughed it off. It wasn’t until Yachi noticed the referee giving you looks as if saying to behave yourself that she decided to take matters into her own hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“(Y/N)-chan, the referee might kick you out of the gym if you keep going like this,” Yachi warned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saeko laughed and said, “It wouldn’t be the first time. This happened a lot during Ryu’s and Noya’s first-year games.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed and plopped down into your seat. “It’s not my fault okay? Sometimes I just get into it and I can’t help it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know, but officials aren’t able to keep up with you.” Homura snickered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flipping the finger at her, you focused back on the match once the whistle was blown again. It was well on its way and you smirked when you noticed the tension between Tanaka and Mad Dog increase. Tanaka’s persona on the court was similar to how he was off the court and it sometimes worked in his favor. In Seijoh’s case, he managed to specifically target Mad Dog throughout the match and push the right buttons. By doing so, Karasuno managed to take the lead. This was when you noticed that because of how much of a wild card Mad Dog was, it caused small cracks in the smooth picture Seijoh painted themselves to be. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘They really decided to play Russian Roulette with this guy…But also, what is up with all these second years dyeing their hair blonde?’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Your mind flashed back towards the outgoing blonde who somehow managed to get you to help him with his personal affairs. It was often hard for you to get along with new people but for some reason, Terushima’s welcoming and overbearing personality managed to warm you up just a little bit. The cheeky smile crossed your mind and you rolled your eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Hopefully, this little issue won’t take long, oh-speaking of the devil…’  </span>
  </em>
  <span>You looked down at your phone when you felt it buzz in your pocket. Terushima had just texted you asking when you were available and quickly going through your schedule for the week, you sent him your availability. It surprised you when he replied back that the following weekend would work. You snorted and just left the conversation be. It was in the middle of a school day and the blonde was on his phone. Then again, after glancing at the clock, his school could be on break. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice one touch!” Saeko and Yachi cheered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quickly turning your attention back to the game, you managed to look up just in time to see Hinata successfully dunking the ball that was too close to the net. A smirk crept onto your face once the tension on the court seemed to shift. It wasn’t one team being more confident than the other this time. Anyone that lived and breathed volleyball could see that now both teams were fighting against each other with all their might. None of those boys wanted to be the team that let the ball touch the ground. They chased after one another, not wanting their opponent to take the lead. Your throat burned from trying to out cheer Seijoh’s support and make sure that the boys didn’t break their focus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“HA! SERVES YOU RIGHT YOU LITTLE SHITHEADS!” you cheered after Hinata did a feint and managed to get them to tie the score. It was right before the 20s hit and everyone hoped that Karasuno wouldn't let Seijoh have a breakthrough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a couple of moments, the audience slowly grew silent. Everyone was at the edge of their seats, not knowing who to root for. Seijoh and Karasuno were proving that they were both formidable opponents for each other. While your eyes were glued to the boys, your jaw clenched and your leg began to constantly bounce up and down. When Seijoh managed to land a point, you immediately felt a rush of heat consume you. Rui and Homura already noticed your body language and simultaneously managed to cover your mouth and hold you down from cussing out the other team. Seijoh managed to hit the 20s zone first and everyone was on edge with the match slowly reaching its end. Your muffled rant could be heard from the people around you and they snickered at the change of behavior. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn't think she was going to be this bad when you mentioned it earlier. Was she always like this?” Yachi asked with wide eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saeko laughed and nodded. “She wasn’t called the Firecracker for nothing. The girl had some serious trash talk on the court.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rui smacked the back of your head and hissed for you to behave. With a huff, you slowly simmered down but you couldn’t keep still. Saeko was leading the cheers and all you could do was mentally pray that the boys would beat Seijoh. You bit your lip and glared when Iwaizumi managed to connect the ball from Mad Dog’s mistake with Yamaguchi’s serve. He was really good and it seemed that the player was at his peak at the moment. The nerves began to grow and you barely felt your heartbeat increase once you eyed the score. Seijoh had 23 and Karasuno was right behind them with 22. You had a strong faith in your boys, especially because they spent so much training against some of the best teams in the prefecture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, I just need them to win this thing…” you muttered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Homura reassuringly squeezed your shoulder and said, “You know they will. But we can’t cancel out how strong these players from Seijoh are.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, I just want to pummel them all down to the ground,” you groaned and ruffled your hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least all this stress will be over soon, the boys just need to show them who’s boss,” Shimada added. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You tensed when the intense smack of Oikawa’s serve hit the floor and if you hadn’t blinked, then you would’ve missed just how quick and powerful he did it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just what is that prick eating?!” you gaped. You had assumed that Oikawa was just going for power, but it was your mistake to not pay closer attention to his stats. He had two sets to figure out the kinks of his serve and now that his body was fully warmed up, just like Iwaizumi, Oikawa was in the most top shape anyone’s seen him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU GUYS DON’T WIN THIS MATCH, I’M MAKING YOU DO FLOOR DIVES AND HILL RUNS EVERY SINGLE PRACTICE UNTIL SCHOOL ENDS!” you threatened when the boys came back after a timeout. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boys turned around and could see the fire blazing in your eyes. Nishinoya snickered but was mentally thankful for the extra boost of determination. He hadn’t felt this tense in a while, probably since he played in the finals in middle school. And knowing that you were right behind him with your endless support, he had nothing to fear. He eyed Seijoh with a hungry look in his eyes and smirked, ready to give it his all. Daichi and Asahi laughed at your tactics to try and calm the boys down. They shrugged and immediately clocked in on the game. Sure your threats were real, but nothing would beat the devastating feelings of having their journey end right then and there. Tanaka and Hinata gulped at your intense glare but still gave you a thumbs up to show that they were ready to take it all the way to the end. Tsukishima and Kageyama just glanced up at you with a simple nod knowing that you were sending all your energy towards them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smirked when Daichi successfully managed to receive Oikawa’s serve and Asahi spiked it past Seijoh’s players. One point was still one point despite Seijoh being at match point. Sugawara was subbed in to hopefully do another setter switch and you held your breath when Iwaizumi managed to pick up his serve. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit, Hinata just body slammed into Kageyama!” Homura snickered and you let yourself relax for just a moment. They have finally tied with Seijoh once again and it was now or never to try and win the match. Thankfully with that body slam, Hinata and Kageyama were able to block Mad Dog’s spike and gain that point to tie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With Sugawara’s next serve, he managed to dive for the ball that Iwaizumi dug and you couldn’t help but shake your head in astonishment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘You’re a cheeky little thing, huh Tobio?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>The black-haired setter decided to do a dump. The blockers were so concentrated on the spikers, they didn’t even have time to react. It was sort of satisfying seeing Oikawa try and dive for the ball, but miss in the end. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Looks like the King of the Court is finally showing who is the real peasant in this match.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>And in order to try and stop the boys’ momentum, Seijoh burned their last time out of the match. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Time to take this game home, boys…” you muttered and stood up. You walked towards the railings and clenched your hands together, hoping with all your might that the boys would win. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It all seemed like it happened in a blink of an eye, yet time slowed down once the sequence reached its end. Once Sugawara served the ball, it had gone outside of the court but Oikawa managed to do a long set towards Iwaizumi. Daichi then tried to receive the ball, but it was too short. Tanaka was there to cover him and Asahi managed to spike it over to the other side. You thought it was over when one of the players had hit the ball against the net, but Mad Dag managed to get it back over the net. Sugawara received it and you felt their resolve shift. It was time for Kageyama and Hinata to use their ultimate weapon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go for it Shoyo! Tobio!” you cheered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You held your breath while you watched the duo get into position. With a click of your tongue, you noticed that the blockers had predicted their setup. Then, Hinata spiked the ball with it aimed in Oikawa’s direction. You choked on the emotions that were swelling up inside you when you realized that Hinata found an opening against three blockers. Oikawa also missed receiving the ball and Yachi grabbed onto your shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did they…?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fervently nodding your head, excitedly wrapped your arms around Yachi and constantly jumped as the audience erupted into a roar. Karasuno managed to beat Seijoh after being defeated by them at the Inter-High. And now the boys were one step closer to going to Nationals. Homura and Rui immediately engulfed you in a hug while you waited for the boys to finish up on the court. You all exchanged pleasantries about the match and the throbbing in your head was all worth the yelling. Relief and excitement ran through you once you noticed that the boys were making their way towards their belongings. There was only one person on your mind and one person you wanted to get to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You managed to get a head start from everyone and quickly bounded down the stairs. Once you saw Kageyama in your line of sight, you didn’t care who saw and immediately jumped in his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did it! You really did it!” you said and smiled to yourself when you felt his arms wrap around your frame. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After that threat of yours, you know we had to bring it home,” he smirked and you looked up at him with a bright smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys just needed that extra boost. I had faith in you guys from the very beginning.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Around you, you could hear that the rest of the support for the boys had caught up. Yet all of that meant nothing, it was as if everything around you blurred and it was just you and Kageyama at that moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It did feel good to finally beat Oikawa though.” He murmured and you laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I could tell by the look on your face.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” he raised an eyebrow and you nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I’m still so very proud of you, Tobio. You guys are one step closer to heading to Nationals.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, (Y/N),” he nodded before taking a deep breath. With a curious look, you waited for him to put his thoughts together. Kageyama then leaned down and murmured next to your ear, “It got me even more motivated seeing you with my jersey.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You blushed and he gave you another smirk before ruffling your hair. “That was a nice surprise you did for everyone by bringing all of our other friends to watch.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a huff, you crossed your arms and looked at him as if he’d said something very obvious. </span>
  <span>“Well duh, I had to make sure my boyfriend’s team got all the support they deserved.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“BOYFRIEND?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your eyes widened and you turned around to see that the entire team had their jaws dropped. Kageyama could only facepalm himself to try and hide the blush that crept onto his cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oops.’ </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
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